New Gennai Order
by Ryan Berke
Summary: Alternate Universe, Extremely Dark Fic. An accident occurs in the events of the 01 show, and the 02 cast is left to correct it. (Episode 4 Added 05 OCT 02)
1. NGO Foreward

"New Gennai Order"  
March 13, 2002  
FORWARD  
  
  
The number three. As far as today is concerned, three represents March, as the third month of the year. Shove a one in front of it, and you've got today, the 13th. And starting today, it's also the third year my fic, "What If?" has seen readership on Fanfiction.Net.  
  
It's only fitting, then, that today's update ALSO the third episode of the third section of the grand saga, or as I tend to shorthand it, NGO-03. How better to make my reappearance to the screens of FFN readers than with a continuance so fitting?  
  
As you'll see, everything changes here. In "What If?", we witnessed as this new world's scenario was born, in watching the miracle predicted by the prophecy fail. In "If Only...", we followed as the digidestined tryed to cope with a world that could only be described as their worst nightmare, and saw fate take it's toll. With the first two Episodes of NGO, we tied up loose ends, introducing the visiting digidestined while clarifying the aftermath of IO. But now, the 02 digidestined are on their own, exploring in a digiworld with a culture uniquely its own.  
  
I apologise in taking so long in writing this; I have my reasons, though none of them are sufficient excuse for all the readers I've been letting down. All I can say is that I'm back, and plan to stay that way for a while. A few announcements to keep everything running more smoothly:  
  
  
1) "What If?" now has it's own website, thanks to the best girlfriend in the world (though you'd all know her as shimmercat). Eventually, I hope to post information supplementary to the series, with everything from my digiphysical theories to non-canon events that aren't critical to the story. Check it out at http://www.candybowl.net/shimmercat/WhatIf/  
  
2) Another year, another re-write. Two years ago, the story started, last year I put out the RECs (short for "Revised, Expanded, and Complete" version), and now I'm "remixing" the old material completely. The new versions will mimic the Episodic format I've been using in NGO, in an effort to break the huge "Prologues" into smaller, more manageable pieces. Also, having worked on this fic for 2 years now, I think it's safe to say my writing skills have grown since this first started, so I'll be re-writing and clarifying past scenes and inconsistencies. The first of such remixes should release within the next week or two on the website; anyone who'd like to be notified when, e-mail me at RyanBerke@hotmail.com with a subject line that says something that won't get interpreted as Junk Mail and deleted.  
  
3) For anyone who hasn't noticed, the new installment has a number, but no title to go with it. Whenever you see an Episode of the fic labeled "(Working Title)", please E-Mail to me any suggestions you've got for me to use. Whoever suggests the chosen name, I'll post to them a thank-you at the top of the related file, and seeing how things go, we'll see if I can offer somewhat of a contest or prize, or something.  
  
  
All that's left to say is "Thank You." I've spent two years working with this fic, and I owe it all to the readers. You've read, given me feedback, and generally helped me along. I couldn't have done this without you, and you've given me (at this point) 99 encouraging reviews to get me to this point.  
  
Thank You Thinker, for everything you've done helping me as an editor, a sounding board, and a friend. You've read and reviewed my works with enthusiasm nearing the level I give yours, and it's helped me a lot.  
  
And Thank You shimmercat especially, for all that and more; you've given me my website, been VITAL in the planning behind everything, and as my girlfriend, you've made me happier than I ever thought possible. I want everyone else to know: I love you.  
  
  
--Ryan Berke  
AIM: Ryan Berke  
(RyanBerke@hotmail.com)  
http://www.candybowl.net/shimmercat/WhatIf/ 


	2. NGO Prologue I of II: What If?

"New Gennai Order – Prologue I of II: "What If?"

(C) March 2001, Ryan Berke

http://ryanberke.cjb.net/

This entire story is dedicated to my loyal friend and beta reader, Thinker.I know I probably still could have done this without him, but I honestly can't see how!Much as I'm sure we all miss your fanfiction, buddy, I know everyone'll love your book.

((DISCLAIMER: I do not own, nor do I claim to own, any of the Digimon characters (heck, I refuse to claim even the ones I made up! Feel free to steal them!) They are all property of FoxKids, Toei, and Bandai. I haven't received any permission ahead of time, but then this wouldn't be a Fanfic, would it? Likewise, I do not own the song "What If?" by Creed))

((ADDITIONAL DISCLAIMER: This story is not Copywritten, as implied by the heading. (c) stands for "completed," allowing me to know when I wrote it.))

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"Ah, what better than another picnic in the Digi-World!" Daisuke commented, cheerfully.

"Yeah." Takeru agreed. "Maybe this time we won't get attacked while we're at it."

"C'mon, Tee-Jay; lighten up. Try to enjoy yourself, right Kari?"

"Actually," Kari said, "T.K.'s right. We should still stay alert, what with the Digimon Emperor and all."

Daisuke face-faulted.

"All right, we'll stay alert. But still, what's the worst that could happen?"

He stopped in his tracks, finding his path blocked by a glowing bright...words couldn't even begin to describe it.

Three figured stepped out, almost wincing at the sudden daylight. The first, a young man, squinted at Daisuke. "Huh? You're not Tai!"

The man wore his hair long, and tied back. His face scruffy, overall appearance unkempt. He must've not gotten a haircut in years! His clothes, military fatigues, were ragged and torn, not to mention a few sizes too small. Must've been a while on the wardrobe too.

Discouraged, he turned to his two companions, "And I guess this isn't the Digi-world, either. Our one shot failed."

"No, wait!" Daisuke exclaimed. "This _is_ the Digiworld. And I _know_ Tai. Maybe I can help."

The guy ignored him, but seemed to notice the others behind the arrogant little kid. "T.K.? Kari?"

"Joe?" the two replied, in unison.

"It can't be. You're dead. Unless it really _did_ work."

"What worked?" Kari soothed, trying her best to coax an explanation about the confused man in front of her.

"Maybe I'd better explain..."

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**"What If?"**

**PART ONE**

**Release Date: 3.13.00**

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
"The sky will be darkened by the wings of many bats.  
The Fallen people will invoke the name of the undead Digimon King.  
And when the clock strikes the hour of the beast, the Undead King will reveal himself in his true form as the Beast.  
Then Angels will shoot arrows of Hope and Light at the loved ones of those they've been sent to protect, and a miracle will happen.  
Please Always Recycle."  
--Gennai, upon finding the Prophecy

  
---------------  
  
"Wait, the prophecy! That's it!" Mr. Ishida yelled, "Quick, Izzy. What did the prophecy say about angels?"  
  
"What _does_ the prophecy say, Izzy?" the boy's mother prompted.  
  
"Well, before the recycle part, 'Then Angels will shoot arrows of Hope and Light at the loved ones of those they've been sent to protect, and a miracle will happen.'  
"Okay, if Angemon and Angewomon were the angels from the prophecy--"  
  
"So then who're the ones they were sent to protect?" Mr. Izumi asked.  
  
"That must mean T.K. and Kari." Izzy reasoned, "The angels will shoot arrows at their loved ones!"  
  
"It's simple. Allow me to explain." Tentomon interrupted, "Say I'm some kind of Guardian Angel. Who's guardian am I? Yours. And who do _you_ love the most?"  
  
"I was just getting to that!" Izzy protested, "My Mom and Dad, obviously."  
  
"Exactly. But T.K. and Kari not only have Moms and Dads, they have something else too."  
  
"They have brothers!" Mr. Izumi realized.  
  
"In a word, Bingo!"  
  
"But why would you want them shooting arrows at your loved ones?" Izzy asked, "Sounds kinda dangerous if you ask me."  
  
"They're angels, Izzy." his mother announced, as if it was obvious, "Maybe they're like cupid; he was sort of an angel. When he shot arrows, they were arrows of love."  
  
"Mom, isn't that a little corny?"  
  
"It may sound corny, but I buy it." Tentomon declared, turning to Tai and Matt, "All we've got to do is get Angemon and Angewomon to shoot you guys with their arrows of love!"  
  
"Hey!" Izzy cautioned, "Let's not be too hasty here!"  
  
Matt ignored him, turning to Tai, "What do you think?"  
  
"It's worth a shot." the leader decided, "Kari!"  
  
"T.K.!"  
  
"Are you sure you wanna?" T.K. asked.  
  
Tai nodded, "Lets see those arrows of hope and light!"  
  
"You two have gotta get them to shoot at us!"  
  
"They'll only do it if _you_ tell them to!"  
  
Kari was skeptical, "You really want 'em to shoot at you?"  
  
T.K. agreed, "What if you get, like, dead, or something?"  
  
"Naw," Matt reassured him, "Never happen, right?"  
  
"Right." Tai confirmed.  
  
"Okay." Kari agreed, still hesitiant, "Angewomon!"  
  
"Angemon, listen up!" T.K. chimed in, "I know this maybe sounds crazy. But you've got to shoot Matt and Tai with your arrows."  
  
"You too, Angewomon!"  
  
"She's right," Angemon declared.  
  
"Sounds crazy..." his counterpart added.  
  
"Wait!" Gabumon yelled, "Are you sure about this?"  
  
Agumon echoed, "What if the prophecy's all wrong?"  
  
Tai comforted, "You want a miracle to happen, or not?"  
  
"Yeah, miracles require a little faith." Matt agreed, then turned to Tai, "Scared, Tai?"  
  
"No, not at all. How 'bout you, Matt?"  
  
"'Course not. Piece of cake." he reached for Tai's hand, "But maybe I'll just hang on to you, to make sure you don't chicken out, or anything."  
  
"Yeah, I'll do the same for you, buddy." Tai said, taking Matt's.  
  
Angemon and Angewomon drew back their arrows, the former speaking, "One miracle..."  
  
The other chimed in, finishing the sentence, "Coming up..."  
  
The arrows flew through the air, striking Matt and Tai. The boys were enveloped by a huge flash of light, and everyone seemed to blink.  
  
Did it work?  
  
They were all shocked by what they saw. T.K. fainted, and Kari broke into tears.  
  
But perhaps Matt's father summed it up best of all...  
  
"Oh Shit!"  
  
---------------  
  
"Alright, I'm tired of fooling around." Gomamon declared, "We have to defeat Myotismon once and for all!"  
  
Mimi agreed, "Our parents always protected us--now it's time we came through for them."  
  
Palmon nodded, "Mimi, if we do it together, we can beat him."  
  
"Think so?"  
  
"Uh-huh!"  
  
"I'll try!" Biyomon echoed.  
  
Sora looked at her digimon, "You will?"  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"We already tried!" Joe complained.  
  
"So we'll keep on trying, Joe! Because Digimon never give up!" Gomamon hopped onto Joe's shoulder, "Like they always say, 'All for one and one for all!'"  
  
Joe laughed, "You're right--we can do it! Let's get him, guys!"  
  
Upon seeing Joe run off yelling, Sora turned to Jim, "You'll have to excuse Joe. He's a little Hyperactive." She ran after.  
  
Mimi turned to Jim as well, "Please take care of our Parents, Jim!"  
  
Jim stared as they left, and said softly, "Good luck, you guys."  
  
---------------  
  
Sora ran to where the others were watching the battle, finding them all depressed. T.K. was on the ground, and Kari was sobbing. The adults sat together, comforting each other. Izzy sat away from them, staring into his computer screen, unmoving.  
  
Sora ran up to him, "What's going on? Where are Tai and Matt?"  
  
Izzy tried to answer, but found he couldn't. He led Sora behind the fallen News van, and pointed at the bodies.  
  
Her eyes flared angrily with realization, "Tell me _everything_!"  
  
---------------  
  
"You...murderer!" Sora screamed at Kari, ignoring the fact that T.K. was equally involved, "How could you? Your own Brother!"  
  
Kari opened her mouth to reply, but Sora wasn't finished, "You were with them all along! You and that...that Angel Bitch!  
  
"I'm sorry," Kari choked, softly.  
  
"Oh, you better believe it!" Sora barked, lunging savagely at the younger girl.  
  
"Hey!" Izzy exclaimed, "It wasn't her fault!"  
  
"So _you're _ with them too, huh?" Sora snapped, "I should've known! _You_ were the one who _found_ the prophecy!"  
  
"How would I know it'd kill him?"  
  
"You think you're so smart! Well y'know what?" Sora asked, "I am just _sick_ of this."  
  
She stormed away, and Izzy called to her, "Where're you going?"  
  
"I'm outta here!" she replied, stopping only kneel over Tai's lifeless form, and pick up his Digivice, Tag, and Crest; the only untouched remains of him. "C'mon, Birdramon. We're leaving."  
  
"Coming, Sora!" obviously confused.  
  
"Sora, wait!" Joe called.  
  
But she was already gone.  
  
---------------  
  
"Don't worry about her," Izzy said, trying to calm a sobbing Kari.  
  
"No, she's right." she replied, "I killed Tai and Matt."  
  
"If anyone's to blame, it's me." Izzy comforted, feeling the weight on his shoulders increase dramatically, "I found the Prophecy, it's my fault. You just did what you were told."  
  
Kari seemed to take that very maturely, and think it over. She even stopped crying, and her expression changed. Izzy braced himself for another outburst.  
  
"Izzy..."  
  
"What?" he asked, soothingly.  
  
"Thank you." Kari replied, "But I can't hold it against you; it wasn't your fault either. You every reason _to_ trust Gennai, and like you said, 'How could you know?'"  
  
Izzy took a step back, shocked, "Uh...anytime."  
  
"But," Kari continued, "We don't have time for this. We have to stop VenomMyotismon, and we can't do it with only five Digimon."  
  
Izzy stared at her, amazed by the maturity and leadership she possessed. Over the past few months, they'd all turned to Tai and Matt for guidance, and when not them, Sora. But even now, he knew in his heart Kari would be a good leader. Like brother, like sister.  
  
But unlike her brother, she knew when to quit too.  
  
"Everyone, fall back!" she called to the saddened group, "We can't beat him like this!"  
  
"But the people at the convention center--"  
  
"Won't be safe with you dead too." Jim said, pulling up on a motorbike.  
  
Kari, reassured of her decision, spoke again "C'mon, we're evacuating the area. Civilians first, then Digidestined. Angemon, Angewomon--watch our backs!"  
  
Izzy began to add, "Megakabuterrimon--"  
  
"Has done enough." Kari replied, "I'm sorry, we'll never get away if we all stay here."  
  
"I understand." Izzy said, wishing otherwise. He lifted up T.K.'s passed out form, and followed Joe and Mimi out.  
  
Kari watched to make sure everyone was on their way, then picked up the remaining Digivice, Tag, and Crest, still where Matt had worn them. She ran after, last of everyone.  
  
"Okay, Angels, we're all safe." she said, giving the final command, "Retreat!"  
  
---------------  
  
Hours later, a grim faced party sat around a conference room table in the ruins of the T.V. station. In addition to Kari, Izzy, Mimi, Joe, and T.K., Matt's Father, Izzy's parents, and Jim were present. They were accompanied by Salamon, Tentomon, Gomamon, Palmon, and a very weak Tsunomon.  
  
Kari took a position at one end of the table, in front of a dry-erase marker board mounted sideways on the wall. Everyone began to notice what Izzy had realized earlier. Kari _was_ the Eighth Child, and if anyone could destroy Myotismon, she could. Tai was important as a leader when Courage was important, but in this hour of darkness, they needed this guiding Light even more.  
  
"It's been a tough day. For everyone." she began, "But we all need to stay focused. VenomMyotismon _must_ be stopped, Matt or no Matt, Tai or no Tai." She watched as people nodded. "Izzy has spent the time since then analyzing what happened, and has offered to share his observations. Izzy?"  
  
"Kari's right." Izzy said, standing up and walking to the board. Kari stepped aside to let him take the stage. "We have to stop him. Let's look at the facts.  
  
"First, we couldn't stop him at the tower. He's stronger now, and attrition has ravaged our ranks. We all miss Tai, Matt, and Angemon, and I'm sure we all wish Sora hadn't left."  
  
Kari nodded approval, and T.K. burst into tears. It'd been a rough day for him. His mom trapped at the convention center. His brother killed. And his best friend over the past few months, dead. VenomMyotismon hadn't been about to let his enemies get away, and Angemon sacrificed himself to save them all.  
  
"Second," Izzy continued, pausing appropriately, "We've got us a kid without a Digimon, a Digimon without a kid, and the Digivices, Tags, and Crests for both." Izzy fished the items out of his pocket, the ones Kari had given him for this purpose, "T.K., I'm sure Matt would've wanted you to take care of Tsunomon for him."  
  
He handed the items to the younger boy, and waited while T.K. tried to control his tears. He put them on, next to his own set of the equipment.  
  
"Third, VenomMyotismon can get stronger by taking energy away from others. He's displayed an extreme ruthlessness in draining his own minions, sacrificing some of his best officers. We've experienced this in the past, with both Devimon and his black gears, and Etemon's dark network. The difference here is, we don't have any more Digivolutions to exploit, and can't trust Gennai to hand any more over to us. We're running out of options.  
  
"The real question now is: what _can_ we do?"  
  
---------------  
  
"Biyomon, is he still following us?" Sora asked.  
  
"Yes, Sora." Biyomon echoed, "He's still following us."  
  
She stopped, letting the Digimon catch up.  
  
"Why the _hell_ are you following me?" she demanded.  
  
"I'm sorry, Sora." Koromon replied, "But I have to protect whoever has the digivice."  
  
_Flashback. Datamon's Pyramid.  
  
"I believe the power of the crests come not from the digivice, but from whoever can access it's power."_  
  
Datamon had almost won that time, but Tai had saved her.  
  
Tai.  
  
Suddenly, Sora felt weak.  
  
"Okay, you can stay with us." she gave in, to weary to resist. "Nothing else we can do now. It's late, so let's sleep and get a fresh start in the morning."  
  
The others agreed. Within moments, they were all fast asleep.

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"Wait, how do you know all this?" Miyako asked. "After all, you weren't there at the time, were you?"

Jyou stole a glance at the colleague to his left. She was dressed in black-and-gray, perfect for sneaking around in the night. Her scarlet eyes hosted an aura of mystery behind them; she was definitely quite the character. Like Jyou, her hair was long and unkempt, but she let hang loose on her shoulders.

"I have my sources."

Iori chimed in. "It would help us to understand your story if you'd explain everything as it happens."

"All will be explained, when I'm good and ready. For now, you kids can wait." He paused, playing with the stubble on his chin. "Now, where was I..."

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**"What If?"**

**PART TWO**

**Release Date: 4.01.00**

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Have I been dreaming? This isn't my bedroom... "Biyomon! It isn't a dream! No!!!"  
  
"Don't be frightened my dear. She's simply exhausted from all the excitement. She'll be fine when I use her in my plan to destroy Etemon." Datamon assured her.  
  
"Biyomon can't digivolve without me, and I'd rather be stuck in a sewer full of rats than help you!"  
  
"Good then, I'll remember you said that." He turned, and started punching more buttons into a computer panel.  
  
"What're gonna do to me?" Sora asked, nervously.  
  
"Just remain calm."  
  
A strange instrument popped out of the table Sora found herself strapped to. It started at her toes, but before long moved to her head, and back.  
  
"Ahh! Get me off this thing!"  
  
"We've just started."  
  
Sora screamed, "Hey! What's happening to me?"  
  
"Relax, I'm just making a copy of you." Datamon explained, as Sora screamed, "You see, I believe Biyomon's power doesn't come from you, my dear, but from whoever appears to be in possession of that fancy Digivice you so proudly wear."  
  
"You will never be able to command Biyomon."  
  
"Perhaps not, but we'll see if an exact replica of you can."  
  
He returned to the panel. Sora exclaimed, "This just can't be happening!" She had to correct herself at her tag and a crest popped out of the panel, "I could be wrong!"  
  
Ignoring her, Datamon spoke, "When I fought the beast before, Etemon erased all my memory circuits, except for those of the fight. From that moment on, I vowed I'd have my revenge, and I _will_ have it, with the help of your digi-partner. But enough of this small-talk, my dear. The moment of truth has arrived!"  
  
---------------  
  
"Your friends are _very_ perceptive, my dear." Datamon complimented, "It seems they've already discovered that I'm holding you prisoner here in this pyramid."  
  
Sora asked, "What was that explosion?" The earth rumbled a few times.  
  
"There's a ferocious battle raging outside, and several of your friends have even managed to enter the pyramid."  
  
"My friends?"  
  
---------------  
  
Tai burst through a breach in pyramid security, in this case, the wall to the room. "Sora!" he called, "Sora, are you all right? Speak to me Sora! Sora!!!"  
  
"That's not Sora!" Biyomon corrected, urgently, "That's just a copy!"  
  
"Here, Tai!" Sora helped.  
  
"And now the copy is finished." Datamon announced, ignoring the Trio, "I will give he the magic crest, and she will become the new Sora, and do whatever I require of her."  
  
"That's what you think, you pile of junk!" Tai dived forwards, towards Datamon, and the Crest.  
  
"No! What're you doing?" Datamon yelled, "I will not permit a mere boy to disrupt my plans to destroy Etemon!"  
  
Tai ignored him, running the other way, to Sora, "I'm coming, Sora!"  
  
Sora screamed as the floor gave way, the table disappeared, and she fell. Tai dived and caught her by the arm. She moaned nervously, hanging there.  
  
Tai called for help, "Biyomon!"  
  
Datamon gloated over them, "That is the center of Etemon's dark power network. Anything sucked in there will be lost for all eternity." He reached towards their hands, attempting to pry them apart, "And since I no longer have any need for the original, I'll just get rid of it."  
  
"Tai!" Biyomon exclaimed, "The Crest!"  
  
"Yes," Datamon added, "The crest is the means by which you may save the maiden's life, if you give it to me immediately."  
  
"Yeah," Tai countered, "Well why don't you tell Etemon your sad story, cause we're not interested!" he dropped the crest. Datamon wailed as Tai added, "Sora, catch!"  
  
"No, wait!"  
  
"Not scared, are you, Datamon?"  
  
Biyomon, digivolve to ... BIRDRAMON!  
  
"Stay back, you blasted crow!" Datamon shoed, as Birdramon rescued the two children, "What do you think you are doing? Those're mine!"  
  
Etemon burst through a wall, "Don't worry, tinhead, I'll play with you!"  
  
Greymon, Kabuterrimon, and Izzy crashed through another. The first exclaimed, "We're out!"  
  
"We made it!" Izzy added.  
  
"I never thought I'd see you again!" Sora cried.  
  
"Hey!" Tai observed, "Here come the others!"  
  
They could watch as Matt, Joe, Mimi, and T.K. ran towards them from where they'd been fighting Etemon before. Sora waved to them, "We're over here!"  
  
They all replied, "We're coming, we're coming!"  
  
---------------  
  
They all watched as Etemon's minions were dragged back, towards the Pyramid, against all resistance. Amazed, Joe asked, "What happened back there?"  
  
"I suspect the computer blew." Izzy replied, always having an answer.  
  
"Look at the Pyramid!" Sora observed.  
  
"It's disintegrating!" Tai clarified.  
  
The entire structure collapsed, as Tai had said. Out of it rose a hideous beast of Etemon and his Network. Everyone gasped.  
  
"What's with this guy?" Tai asked.  
  
"I told you I'd come back to take my revenge on you!" Etemon declared, "Didn't believe me, did you?"  
  
Birdramon and Kabuterrimon flew towards him to attack.  
  
"Meteor Wing!"  
"Electro-shocker!"  
  
The shots dissolved meaninglessly before Etemon. "Hey, that was pretty good." he complimented, "I'd give it about a nine-point-six. Now then, are you ready for a fastball?" He hurled a green-black globe, but it missed, hitting a pyramid.  
  
"That one's headed right for the sphinx!" Joe warned.  
  
"Ahh!" Mimi screamed, "The sphinx melted!"  
  
"Melted doesn't even to describe it." Izzy corrected.  
  
"We've tried everything," Sora said, hopelessly, "Nothing can stop him. I guess this is the end."  
  
"I _was_ hoping to skip algebra class, but not like this!" Joe, obviously.  
  
Tai stood determined, and his crest glowed, like it had at the firewall. "No," he declared, "I'm not ready to surrender to Etemon just yet! Comin' Greymon?"  
  
"I'm right behind you!" the Digimon replied.  
  
Etemon saw them, and couldn't resist a lame comment to mock them, "What've we got here, sportsfans? A new batter steps up to the plate."  
  
"I'm not afraid of you, you big blow-hard!" Tai exclaimed as he ran, "Come down here and fight like a 'Mon!"  
  
"Tai! What're you doing?" Mimi asked, "You don't stand a chance!"  
  
"Hey, you are brave! I like that!" Etemon called, hurling another attack. It hit Greymon, knocking the big Digimon over.  
  
"Don't worry, Greymon; I'm staying right with you." Tai reassured.  
  
The crest glowed again, and Greymon announced, "Tai, your courage is giving me even greater strength! I can digivolve!"  
  
GREYMON, digivolve to ... _METAL-GREYMON!!!_  
  
"Lookie here!" Etemon mocked, "A fully-evolved Digimon! Well, I can handle him too; just watch me, kid."  
  
"Metal Greymon?" Joe asked.  
  
"It was the power from the Crest." Matt explained.  
  
Tentomon added, "MetalGreymon uses his own body as a weapon during battle. His most lethal weapon is the Gija Destroyer."  
  
Tai shouted, oblivious to them, "Etemon is everyone's enemy! Use the power of the crest!"  
  
"What's with you? Is there no end to your stupidity?" Etemon attacked, but MetalGreymon blocked it with a swipe of his claw. "That was just a joke!" Etemon corrected, afraid.  
  
MetalGreymon growled, as Tai ordered, "Finish him while we still have the power!"  
  
MetalGreymon lowered his head an charged. Etemon warned, "Woah, back off baby!" and added as he was hit, "Ow! Don't you know the rules--there's no head-butting allowed!"  
  
MetalGreymon replied with a growl, and began to glow even more.  
  
"He's glowing!" Mimi noticed, "I wish mine could do that!"  
  
"It's the crest power." T.K. realized.  
  
"No!" Etemon warned, "Don't destroy me; I've got too much talent!"  
  
"Giga-Blaster!"  
  
"No!" Etemon echoed, exploding. Everyone gasped. In his death throes, he added, "You must not defeat me. I'm too important to die..."  
  
He disappeared in a flash of black light, and a huge rift replaced where he was. Tai and MetalGreymon found themselves being sucked in, and screamed. The former cried, "Don't let go of me, MetalGreymon!"  
  
MetalGreymon growls, and the pair are lifted into the air, and through the vortex.  
  
Everyone called, in unison, "Tai!"  
  
"What happened to them?" T.K. asked.  
  
Sora's face fell, and she looked as if she was on the verge of crying. "Come back!" she called, faintly.  
  
---------------  
  
"Come back!" Sora cried, still sleeping.  
  
"Sora, wake up!" Biyomon pleaded.  
  
"Yes, please!" Koromon choked, cuddled to her, and being squeezed just a little too tightly.  
  
Finally, he just couldn't take it. He let loose a "Bubble Blow" and rocketed backwards, tearing his way out of her arms. The girl woke up just in time to watch the digimon impact into the side of an overturned dumpster.  
  
"I'm sorry, Koromon." she said, about to cry again, "It's just..."  
  
"I know," Koromon soothed, "We all miss him."  
  
"If only it hadn't happened." Sora wondered, "If only--" she choked, unable to say _her_ name, "If only She hadn't killed him."  
  
"Yeah..." Koromon replied, not necessarily agreeing. _He_ knew how good Kari was, but Sora had barely met her...  
  
"Um... I hate to be the one to break up such a touching moment..." Biyomon cautiously interrupted, "But what're we gonna do now?"  
  
"I don't know." Sora sniffed. How _would_ she know? Izzy usually did most of the planning! "Stop VenomMyotismon, I guess. I just can't bring myself to go back to _her_."  
  
"Maybe we won't have to." Koromon joked, "Maybe they can handle it with the six digimon they've got."  
  
"We can't just do nothing!" Biyomon complained.  
  
Sora sighed. As much as she hated Kari for what she'd done, she knew she had a responsibility to live up to. "We'll find my Mom, first. We'll help her, _then_ we'll see about the others."  
  
The three stood up, and prepared for the long trek back to the convention center.  
  
---------------  
  
Last night, nobody had wanted to talk any more. They were out of ideas, and running out of time. Something _had_ to be done, but no one knew what. Eventually, they all followed T.K.'s lead, and slept.  
  
Everyone but Izzy. He _knew_ there had to be a way to stop VenomMyotismon, if only he could find it.  
  
He sat in a chair, pulled up to the window, as he'd been all night. Staring out, he began to see what constituted dawn through the heavy fog. The rubble-strewn battlefield backed devastated buildings within the city. Behind it all, the convention center and nearby buildings remained intact.  
  
There had to be a way to win, but Izzy couldn't see it. Everyone looked to him for an explanation, and for once, he had none to give. He was a boy; a ten-year-old boy, not a tactician.  
  
He turned, feeling a tap to his shoulder.  
  
"Oh," he said, "Hi, Kari."  
  
"I just wanted to let you know," she said, "You did a good job last night. With your speech, I mean."  
  
"Glad you thought so." he said, not really meaning it. There was an awkward pause, lasting several minutes. Izzy began to turn back to the window.  
  
"I know I've only been here, what, two days?" Kari began again, and Izzy turned to face her again. "And I'm really glad that you're here to help."  
  
"Anytime."  
  
"I'd hoped so," she replied, all too literal, "Because you're our new General."  
  
He didn't reply, letting his gaping expression speak for him.  
  
"Hear me out," Kari ordered, taking a deep breath. "This may seem blunt. Your parents, Mr. Ishida, and Jim don't have Digimon, and would be in constant danger if they became targets. T.K. is all hung up about Matt, and doesn't quite understand the severity of the situation. Joe's a coward, and Mimi's too shallow. That leaves you, who's already demonstrated high strategic potential, and me, the newbie. Between Tentomon and your laptop, you've got all the information you need, you've got months more experience than me, and the logic to support it all. You're the obvious choice."  
  
He thought that over, but really didn't have much choice. "Okay, but you're the leader. I make the plans, but I can't give orders, and I can't relate well with people. You, on the other hand, have been making command decisions since you were first with us, up to and not excepting your surrender to Phantomon."  
  
There were a few moments of silence.  
  
"So...any new ideas?"  
  
"A few," Izzy admitted, "But they should probably wait until everyone's up."  
  
Kari turned to look at the sleeping forms scattered across the floor. "Yeah," she agreed, "We'll wait."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Good." Daisuke grunted. "Kari deserves to lead. Such perfection as her--"

"Aww, give it a rest!" V-mon exclaimed, "Let him tell the story!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**"What If?"**

**PART THREE**

**Release Date: 5.01.00**

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Takeru Takaishi yawned, and stretched. Opening his eyes, he frowned, finding himself in the TV station. In the devastated city after VenomMyotismon's onslaught.  
  
In a world where Matt and Patamon were dead.  
  
He would've cried, but didn't get a chance to. A hand clamped on his shoulder, followed by a "C'mon, TK. Izzy and Kari want to talk to everyone."  
  
TK followed Joe to the adjourning room, where the meeting had been held the night before. As in the previous meeting, Kari and Izzy stood by the dry-erase marker board, and a conference table was conveniently located for use by the others.  
  
Taking a seat by his father, TK kicked his feet impatiently, waiting for the meeting to start. With a final word between Izzy and Kari, it did.  
  
Kari's mouth moved, but TK didn't catch the words coming out. He tried to focus, but his mind kept wandering. Back to the battle. Back to Angemon...  
  
He hadn't even seen it happen; he'd already fainted. It was only later, when Joe talked to him, that he'd found out.  
  
---------------  
  
"Hey," the older boy had said, solemnly approaching him, "How're you feeling?"  
  
"Why do you care?"  
  
"You're just a kid; I'm responsible for you."  
  
That caught TK's attention. He'd heard it before, when Joe'd risked his life for him.  
  
Joe started again, "D'you wanna talk to anyone?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"Are you sure there's not something you'd like to get off your mind?"  
  
TK hesitated, trying to decide what to say. He opted to be blunt. "Matt's dead."  
  
"Yeah," Joe agreed, sighing, "We all miss him."  
  
"And it's my fault." TK added.  
  
"Don't say that!!!" Joe exclaimed. He blushed as he caught a few stares from the others in the room--Mimi sitting alone in a chair, the Izumi's mounting a dry-erase marker board for the later meeting, and Tsunomon, too upset to join the other Digimon for dinner.  
  
Joe fought back the crimson that flushed his face. He wasn't used to these situations, and hoped he'd say the right thing.  
  
He exhaled, re-focusing on the conversation. "It's no one's fault, really."  
  
"But I told Angemon to shoot."  
  
"What's that have to do with it?" Joe asked, "You weren't alone. From what I've heard, Gennai told us the prophecy, Izzy and Tentomon figured it out, Matt and Tai gave the final order, the Angels _did_ fire, and Kari was with you the whole time."  
  
TK wiped away tears, letting Joe's words seep in. "Thanks, Joe."  
  
"Anytime."  
  
"I mean, this is sorta like Me'n Matt. When I was sad, he always knew just what to say--"  
  
TK began to break down again, and Joe abruptly changed the subject, "So...anything else bothering you?"  
  
TK sniffled, "Where's Patamon?"  
  
--------------  
  
Joe watched TK, cautiously. The younger boy seemed way out of it, and the older one worried silently for him from his seat, across the table and one seat back.  
  
Actually, Joe couldn't blame the kid. He couldn't begin to imagine being half the age he was now, and having already lost a brother, mother, and best friend. The kid had been through a lot.  
  
---------------  
  
"Patamon?" the older boy had stuttered nervously. "Wh-where's Patamon?"  
  
"That's what I asked."  
  
_Great one, Joe. Out of the frying pan, into the fire._  
  
"Uh..." he nervously responded, "Back at the fight...none of us really knew what to do. Kari was the only one thinking straight, and made a call. She had Angemon and Angewomon follow from behind to guard a retreat."  
  
Joe choked, realizing the severity of what he was telling this boy. He continued, barely holding back tears, "We weren't fast enough; if we didn't leave someone, none of us would make it. Angemon...Angemon realized that, and decided he'd be the one to stay. He fought well, but just the fact that he hasn't shown up by now..."  
  
TK didn't want to hear more, but knew he had to.  
  
"We barely made it out as it was. I don't know what would've happened if he hadn't...hadn't stayed."  
  
"I get it." TK said, feeling he had to say something. Anything. Then, it was too much, and he cried.  
  
"Joe," he said between sobs, "Thank you."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For telling the truth." he replied, "And for knowing just what to say."  
  
Joe, as reliable as his crest could demand, hugged the boy reassuringly, and the younger one cried on the older one's shoulder.  
  
"Hey," he soothed, "What else would a big brother do?"  
  
---------------  
  
Izzy nodded his own approval of Kari's speech. She'd just gracefully told everyone of her's and Izzy's coalition. They'd all accepted it, for exactly the same reasons Kari had said they would.  
  
And as if to confirm a part of what she'd said, he could see the lost look in TK's eyes that showed just how "hung up" he was. He hoped the kid would be okay.  
  
Hoped he could depend on the kid.  
  
But he didn't have any more time to reflect; Kari gestured, and he took the stage.  
  
"After analyzing the events over the past few days," he began, falling into the speech he'd loosely prepared in his mind, "I've come to a few conclusions. Most importantly, however, VenomMyotismon constantly needs a higher supply of energy than that he already possesses. He can devour other forms for it, and was more than willing to sacrifice his best henchmen for it. He had a steady supply lined up in the convention center, but filled up pretty well over Angemon's sacrifice. That bought them some time, but it's not much. If we hurry, we can still save some of them.  
  
"In a few hours, we'll be leaving on a rescue operation. Ideally, we'll save all the people we can. Realistically, there _will_ be casualties. Digidestined, like it or not, are all going. Civilians, it's your call, but we need all the help we can get. I'll understand if you want out."  
  
"We're with you, Izzy!" Jim called, rising to a stand. He collected stares from around the table, and blushed wordlessly into the sanctuary of his seat.  
  
"No, he's go the right idea." Kari rescued, "A little enthusiasm can only help, right?" She turned to him, "Just make sure your initiative doesn't disrupt your ability to follow orders."  
  
He nodded, stone-faced.  
  
"Okay," Izzy announced, regaining everyone's attention, "For this mission, we'll be breaking into two teams.  
  
"The first team will perform the actual evacuation. Led by TK, the civilians will move people out of the building. Jim, should he go, will be exempt; he'll probably be busy giving medical attention where needed. Tsunomon, I know I'm asking a lot, but if you could digivolve into Garurumon, even just for a little bit, it'd help a lot. Anyone else, help where you can. Everyone understand?"  
  
Everyone nodded.  
  
"Good," he acknowledged, "Now then...me, Kari, Joe, and Mimi, accompanied by our digimon, will have team two. We'll start out by helping where we can, probably going Champion to shuttle people. If VenomMyotismon shows up, we'll go Ultimate, and do our best to hold him back. If anyone's got any suggestions as to how, they'd be useful right about now."  
  
No one answered, their faces falling. _This_ was the plan they were relying on to save a city's population?  
  
Izzy sighed, "I didn't want to rely on this, but we don't have an alternative. It's a long shot, at best. I noticed that tag-team efforts seem to work for us, strategically speaking. Zudomon was able to add his efforts here at the tower because Garudamon carried him up. I've been told how WereGarurumon rode a Giga Blaster to advance against VenomMyotismon. It's not much of a plan, but it may help."  
  
Salamon chimed in, "When I was Angewomon, I could deflect VenomMyotismon's attacks. We might be able to use that to get in close."  
  
"That's the spirit!" Izzy encouraged, "Let's see what else we can come up with before we go.  
  
"Oh, and one last thing--we only got away last time because of Angemon. I'm not going to lie to you; we have no idea how we're going to get away this time. There may be more Angemons before we win this war.  
  
"But we _will_ win. We can't afford not to."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Angemon's dead?" T.K. asked. Jyou nodded.

"What kind of a cruel, messed up place is this? I lose my Brother, _and_ my best friend?"

Daisuke laughed, "Watch out! We might lose _you_ next!"

Kari shot him a look, that said quite a bit more than a simple 'back down.' Davis hung his head, shamed. "It's okay, T.K." Kari assured, "It'll work out in the end."

Joe replied, "Oh, if it only did..."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**"What If?"**

**PART FOUR**

**Release Date: 7.10.00**

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are we there yet?" an anxious Koromon asked.  
  
"Aww, quit whining!" Biyomon protested, "At least someone's carrying you. My wings are getting tired!"  
  
"Oh yeah?" Koromon challenged, "Well, no one just killed your best friend."  
  
"So you're blaming _me_ for Tai's death?"  
  
"You said it, not me."  
  
"Keep that up and you won't be saying much else for a while either."  
  
"Stop it, both of you!" Sora barked, tears welling in her eyes. The pain in her voice and glow from her crest were more than enough to convince them to oblige.  
  
Sora marched grimly on. No one spoke; everyone lost in thought. Herself, she thought of her lost love. Of how he'd been torn away from her. And the bitch of a sister that'd done it.  
  
Koromon bounced happily in Sora's arms. Sure, he missed Tai; who wouldn't? But he liked Sora, and saw why Tai did. She was caring, and thoughtful, and didn't look all that bad--for a human.  
  
Biyomon flapped on their left, looking forwards, but not seeing. The nerve of Koromon! Letting his human die, and then trying to take her Sora from her! She understood their losses, but didn't have to like it.  
  
The trio climbed over another pile of rubble, clearing the top. From the vantage point, they could finally see their destination: the convention center. Miraculously, one of the few structures left unscathed.  
  
Sora stopped, Biyomon landed, and Koromon shifted in his new keeper's arms. They gazed upon their target, only wondering what they might find.  
  
---------------  
  
Elsewhere, other forces were eyeing up the same target.  
  
"Okay," Izzy began, "Everyone remember the plan. TK and the civilians get ready to help however you can. Everyone else, keep your guard up. And keep an ear out for Kari or me. We're splitting into two groups, so it depend which one you're with."  
  
"We're not here to be heroes," Kari added, "That's not what this is about. It's about people, and trying to save them from a murdering tyrant. It's about helping them, because if we didn't, we'd be no worse than the guy we're saving them from."  
  
Her crest glowed as her light touched them all. As if confirming it all, they knew, without a doubt, that she was right.  
  
They reached the convention center, and still she gave orders, coordinating forces. She never stopped, ever making sure people were in the right place, even making sure there wouldn't be any more Angemon's. She'd give anything to keep them safe.  
  
In many ways, she was a better leader than her late brother, but she lacked the trust in her companions' skills that they might be okay on their own.  
  
"Lillymon, Angewomon; take sentry positions in the air. Keep an eye out for VenomMyotismon. Everyone else, load everyone you can onto Megakabuterrimon and Zudomon. They'll shuttle them out."  
  
_But where to?_ she realized. They'd made this move because they had to. But now she wondered if they were prepared enough.  
  
Was there really anywhere these people would be safe? Anywhere they'd be hidden from VenomMyotismon?  
  
Anywhere she could protect them?  
  
---------------  
  
From an empty doorway, three heads emerged from one side, scouting out one of the main chambers of the convention center. Their reconnaissance complete, two bodies followed. Seeing no sign of danger, Sora and her two companions moved wordlessly among the labyrinth of bodies.  
  
They had only one goal: to find Sora's mother. Searching, they tiptoed amongst the myriad of people, hoping for the best.  
  
Koromon hopped freely, finding himself of little use. He'd never met the woman, and had no idea what she looked like.  
  
He heard a door open. He would've called in alarm, but the following voice did that for him.  
  
"Sora?"  
  
"Huh?" the feminine, so-usually-confident voice asked, "TK?"  
  
The 8-year-old boy didn't reply. Instead, dropping Tsunomon, he turned, "Hey, guys! I found Sora!"  
  
Mr. and Mrs. Izumi ran in after, led by their son. Mimi followed, a few steps behind.  
  
Izzy, doing his best to keep the uncertainty from his voice, started giving orders, "Okay: start over there. Take as many people as you can, and load them on to Megakabuterrimon. I'll help in a minute."  
  
As he hopped over to Sora, the girl asked, "So, they put you in charge, huh? Good call."  
  
"Uh, actually..." he blushed, "Kari's in charge. She left me with them while she took Joe and the others in the next room."  
  
"You're letting the Bitch lead you?!?!?"  
  
They attracted a few stares. She glared back at Koromon, who suddenly decided to busy himself trying to drag another body. Biyomon and Tsunomon came to help, and they comically waddled out. Sora and Izzy waited for them to exit through the door.  
  
"She's not a bitch." Izzy protested, in a hushed, but admiring tone. "She's done a great job--you should really give her a chance."  
  
Sora's jaw dropped, "Oh. My. God."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You like her, don't you?"  
  
"Wha--? I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
She ignored him, adding spitefully, "And I thought you had the crest of Knowledge."  
  
He reeled back, hurt. Betrayed.  
  
His hand moved to his cheek, as if he'd been slapped. His eyes narrowed, jaw tightened, face darkened. "Well, I guess I know who the bitch is now, don't I?"  
  
"Izzy!" Mimi interrupted, before Sora could retort, "When're you gonna help? Megakabuterrimon is ready to go. He's waiting for the okay from you."  
  
"Coming!" he called, heading for the door.  
  
Mimi turned to Sora, "I don't know what that was all about, but we could really use your help."  
  
"I'm not sure your esteemed leadership would accept it."  
  
"Forget them. This isn't about anything between you guys. It's about saving people."  
  
"You're right." Sora agreed. She ran outside the door Izzy left through, relieved to find he'd already left.  
  
"Biyomon," she started. She would've said more, but Biyomon understood, in a way only a best friend would. In a way Koromon never would.  
  
She almost smiled.  
  
Biyomon, digivolve to ... Birdramon!  
Birdramon, digivolve to ... Garudamon!  
  
Everyone ran back inside to gather more people.  
  
---------------  
  
"Joe, can Zudomon take any more?" Kari asked, rushed to beat the clock.  
  
"One more, but I wouldn't push it any more than that, if we can avoid it."  
  
"Fine." she turned, nodding to Jim and Mr. Ishida. "Take that one," she said, pointing to a brown-haired woman. She knew either one of them could carry her on their own, but neither had eaten in hours, skipping at least a day's meals.  
  
Moments later, the pair returned from outside, where Zudomon had been loading. Jim was about to report, but was interrupted as something smashed through the ceiling, and into a wall. The wall cracked, and the slumped form dropped to the ground. Closer inspection revealed it to be Lillymon.  
  
The ultimate digimon glowed, reverting back into Palmon. From above, VenomMyotismon laughed.  
  
Light dawned on Kari. Staring face to face with her adversary, she knew she couldn't protect these people, not if she herself was to live.  
  
She came here doing what was right, and she would die doing what was right. Any less was impossible; VenomMyotismon was too powerful.  
  
VenomMyotismon caught the fire in her eyes. Oh, how he was going to enjoy destroying this one. He pulled back, charging an especially powerful burst of his attack. Kari didn't flinch.  
  
"So this is the mighty Eighth Child." he sneered, "This is the one that will defeat me?"  
  
Kari, ever defiant, met his gaze, "You may strike me down, but the end is near." _C'mon, guys, use this time to escape_, "Whatever power you may bring to bear against me will be brought to bear ten-fold against you."  
  
"Nonsense," he countered, "I am destined to plunge this world into darkness."  
  
Kari's voice remained neutral. Bluntly, she replied, "Then you are destined to fail."  
  
VenomMyotismon scowled. Would this girl never back down? Impatient, he fired, he beam lighting up the air as it flew.  
  
And Hikari Kamiya, the savior of two worlds, was consumed by light.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Now Kari's dead?" Daisuke asked, unbelieving.

"Better watch out, Davis! We might lose you next!"

God, Davis hated how that boy spun that around back at him.

"No." Jyou answered, prompting a sigh of relief. "At least, not yet." he amended.

Kari gulped an unspoken gulp.

"I don't want to hear any more!" Miyako whined, "This story's too sad!"

"But Yolei!" Hawkmon protested, "We have to hear! It's the only way we can help him!"

"I don't want to cause trouble." Jyou added. "I'm only telling this because you asked. I'd just as soon leave."

"Don't leave." Hikari said, "He really _do_ want to help."

"Okay," he replied, somewhat convinced.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**"What If?"**

**PART FIVE**

**Release Date: 8.23.00**

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr. Ishida coughed from the dust in the air. It caked his lungs and burned in his chest, until it was all he could do not to give up and die. Finally, with a severely hoarse throat, he could breathe.  
  
"Everyone okay?" he choked out. Barely.  
  
"I think so." Jim groaned, "At least, nothing's broken."  
  
"What about you, Joe?" Mr. Ishida asked. Nothing.  
  
"Joe?" Jim added. But his brother was no where to be seen. "Joe!"  
  
Mr. Ishida could sense the anguish in Jim's voice--it was hard not to. Reassuringly, he comforted, "It's okay, son. I'm sure he's just fine."  
  
_"Son?" What the Hell was that? Hmph, must be getting old..._  
  
"No." Jim replied, "We both know he's dead." Mr. Ishida nodded, grimly.  
  
Jim cracked a smile, "I guess I know how T.K. felt, huh?"  
  
_T.K.? Where was he? Was he okay?_  
  
Mr. Ishida looked back at the building he and the Kido boy had dove from. There was nothing left; the entire center lay in crumbling ruin, a crater filled by rubble.  
  
"T.K.!"  
  
---------------  
  
"Daddy?" T.K. asked, opening his eyes. What happened? Where was he? And why did he hear his daddy?  
  
All he remembered was standing in the convention center. He was being a big boy, and helping move the people out. Then, something hit the wall from the other side, and he went to check it out. Venom Myotismon was there, glaring at Kari. Then he fired at them...  
  
_Am I dead? Did Venom Myotismon get me? If I am dead...  
  
Then where's Matt?_  
  
He looked around, hoping to see his brother. He didn't see anything. ANYTHING. He was floating in an empty void, an endless expanse of nothingness.  
  
No, not empty. Kari was there. And Sora. And Izzy, and Mimi, and Joe, and all the Digimon. The digidestined: Earth's last hope.  
  
But if we are dead...  
  
He didn't want to think about it. He sat down, tucked his knees, and waited.  
  
---------------  
  
Koromon looked up. It looked like the others were still out cold. He didn't know where they were, or how they got there. All he saw were the collapsed forms of his comrades.  
  
It was so quiet; maybe he'd join them. After all, if trouble showed up, he'd hear them long before they became a problem.  
  
He was just closing his eyes when he heard, "Daddy?"  
  
Well, at least T.K. was up. But he didn't seem too happy. Koromon watched, silently, as the boy looked around, glancing left, right, left. Finally and solemnly, the boy curled up, and fell asleep.  
  
Koromon wished there was something he could do to help, something to cheer the kid up. He cocked his head (or the closest approximation for someone who doesn't have a neck), and thought.  
  
Sora'd been pretty sad lately too. When she'd carried him, he could hear the sobs she bit back--he'd gotten used to keeping an ear out for them. Whenever they came on, she'd squeeze him pretty tight. Then, reassured, she'd loosen up and carry on normally.  
  
And how better could Koromon help to reassure the boy?  
  
Quietly, so as not to disturb the others (he knew they were alive; he could see them breathing), he hopped over to the boy, and squirmed into his arms.  
  
T.K. looked up, cracking a smile, "Thanks, Koromon."  
  
----------------  
  
Mimi stirred. She wasn't ready to wake up, but it was cold. She reached to pull the blanket around her more tightly, but couldn't find it. She reached again; nothing. She opened her eyes.  
  
Nothing.  
  
She saw the others lying around, likewise sleeping.  
  
"Hey, guys!" She called, "Wake up!"  
  
Everyone rose, groggily. Well, everyone but Kari. Her body lie still, unmoving.  
  
Why wasn't she getting up? Of course! Venom Myotismon had attacked her. Wherever they were, her body had came with them.  
  
And the Digidestined were down yet another leader.  
  
She heard someone, Sora, speak, "Where are we?"  
  
The reply from Izzy, "No idea."  
  
"In this world, there is a balance of darkness and light. The light represents the good in the world, and the darkness is evil."  
  
Who said that?  
  
"The darkness becomes more than the light, it upsets the balance."  
  
Kari? But she's dead, right?  
  
---------------  
  
"See anyone else?" Mr. Ishida prompted.  
  
"Sorry, sir." Jim replied, "There's no one left; The other kids, Mr. and Mrs. Izumi, even the Digimon. All gone."  
  
"Then we're all that's left?"  
  
"It would appear so."  
  
Mr. Ishida sighed. This was not turning out to be one of his better days.  
  
Of course, that was an understatement.  
  
It was too much to believe; everyone in the city gone. Rounded up into the convention center, only to be slaughtered. The heroes who went to save them were lost in the attack. It was just him and Jim, against the menace of VenomMyotismon.  
  
"Did you hear that?"  
  
Mr. Ishida snapped out of it. "Hear what?"  
  
"I think there's something over that way." Jim said, pointing.  
  
But what? VenomMyotismon--no, we'd already be dead. One of his henchmen; He consumed them all to boost his own energy. Then what?  
  
Whatever it was, it couldn't make things any worse.  
  
"Alright. Let's go check it out."  
  
---------------  
  
Izzy was ecstatic; All this knowledge being given freely to him all at once. Dimensional Divides, Corrupted Digimon, Piedmon and the Dark Masters; all this knowledge, all his. It would've been a dream come true.  
  
Would've.  
  
It wouldn't be worth it without Kari.  
  
He'd appreciated the girl the last few days. She'd been a strong leader, and a caring person. At the convention center, she'd been willing to sacrifice herself to save the lives of those she was responsible for. Perhaps that was what triggered her crest to take them all here; he didn't know. He didn't care. All these answers, they just didn't feel right if it meant he'd never have Kari back.  
  
He didn't know for sure if she'd be gone forever. If this spirit would leave her alone afterwards. He was too scared to ask. Too scared what the answer might be.  
  
Then, Sora asked what they'd all been wondering: "Why didn't the prophecy work?"  
  
"A rare miscalculation. It's been explained to you from the beginning: the Digimon digivolve by borrowing energy from their partners. The arrows should've added power to Tai and Matt's reserves to help Agumon and Gabumon digivolve one step further."  
  
Two more holograms appeared. Each of them rotated slowly, allowing the children to see them from all sides.  
  
On the left, the first was of an orange dinosaur, much like Greymon. Unlike Greymon, it sported armor in addition to it's skin. It's lower legs were covered by metallic shin guards, and it's chest shielded by armor to match. The arms: large bronze-colored gauntlets, with huge claws to supplement the ones tucked inside. It's back sported the Courage emblem from the crest of Courage.  
  
On the right, the second looked almost like Garurumon. A metal Garurumon. In addition to it's robotic body, however, it also had wings and a tail; both sleek looking, and both decidedly dangerous. Beams of light extended from cracks in the armor, cracks that were in no way weaknesses. They allowed movement for the joints; and the way this thing moved, they could only help him.  
  
"Behold, Agumon and Gabumon's Mega forms, WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon. Both are fearsome to behold, and powerful to battle. Easily two of the strongest Digimon in existence."  
  
"But, if the arrows were specially created to bring about these new Digimon, why didn't they work?" Sora asked.  
  
"Despite our infinite wisdom, we forgot to take into account the obvious. The arrows were designed as a battery, a means of adding power to the reserves already contained. But the delivery was designed as a weapon, meant to attack the dark forces of evil."  
  
"Evil?" T.K. asked, "But Tai and Matt were the good guys."  
  
"They allowed their minds to be clouded by fear. Courage, although prone to ego or desperation, cannot exist it the face of fear. And when fear is too much, it disrupts proper judgment, an important part of being a good friend. Without their special traits to fall back on, the two boys were corrupted by fear. The fear that they might fail.  
  
"Such Irony."  
  
"That still doesn't explain why the arrows killed them."  
  
"Fear literally is one of the dark forces: Anger, Fear, Aggression. Fear leads to Anger, Anger leads to Hate, Hate leads to Suffering."  
  
"Great, I knew I should've watched more 'Star Wars'." Joe remarked.  
  
"This is no laughing matter." Kari...well, Kari's voice countered, "Out of the infinity of the universe, only in this world did the Prophecy gambit fail."  
  
"Gambit? You risked Tai's life when you didn't even know if it would work?" Sora, of course.  
  
"Sora, calm down, please." Izzy cautioned.  
  
"Oh, of course you're defending _her_."  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"Calm down! No fighting!" Mimi protested, "Izzy's right. And I'd like to hear more."  
  
Sora grumbled, but backed down.  
  
"There are many different universes in existence. This is only one. Normally, I wouldn't do this, but perhaps you could provide some insight as to why this one turned out so different."  
  
Another image appeared, replacing those of WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon. It showed a team of eight digidestined floating in midair in a black expanse, a very large and very sinister opponent facing them.  
  
"What's this?" Izzy asked.  
  
"In this world, the Gambit worked, and VenomMyotismon was defeated. The Digidestined returned to the Digiworld, only to find it'd been taken over by the Dark Masters." She paused, but they nodded, understanding, having heard of Piedmon and the Dark Masters almost upon their arrival to this little workshop. "One by one, they defeated the Dark Masters, becoming stronger people from it. Finally, with all the Dark Masters defeated, they thought it was over. Gennai approached them, informing them that all was not over: they still had to defeat the Evil that created the Dark Masters.  
  
"Hence Apocalymon, whom you see here. He's literally the essence of all that is evil in the Digiworld, created from the pure sorrow of all that was lost in the digivolving process. In this other world, the Digidestined are currently facing him. He tried to defeat them by breaking them down and sending them to the Data World, but they escaped. Let's watch."  
  
They watched in silence as the battle unfolded. They saw Lillymon save Mimi, knocking out one of Apocalymon's claws, and Zudomon save them from another. A third approached them, but was stopped by--  
  
"Hey," T.K. asked, "Who's that with me?"  
  
"MagnaAngemon." Kari's voice replied, bluntly, enraptured by the battle.  
  
"_Magna_ Angemon?"  
  
"Angemon's Ultimate form." came the explanation.  
  
"Oh." T.K. replied, as if he understood. He didn't, but he knew to be a big boy and wait.  
  
As for the spirit, this was her chance to see everything she'd worked for from another perspective. She and her colleagues were charged with balancing the forces of good and evil; and with a force of evil as powerful as Apocalymon, they'd been hard-pressed to compensate, even summoning the Digidestined. In any world, it was tough.  
  
The other world would make it. But would hers? With two of the heroes down, and one of their Digimon--arguably the strongest of their Digimon, out of the fight, could they really stop the evil? And what about after VenomMyotismon? With the time difference, the Dark Masters of her world had more time to consolidate their power. Already, she'd witnessed events that any one of which could ultimately lead to the world's destruction. Would she be able to maintain the balance she'd worked so long to preserve?  
  
Right now, she didn't care. She just relaxed, taking a few minutes to enjoy another's triumph, another victory over the severe evil. Unattached, unimportant; just herself, enjoying a victory that she knew she'd never see.  
  
In the other world, Sora said something, as she and Garudamon flew in. She hopped onto MegaKabuterrimon as Garudamon stopped another claw, then she and Izzy hopped back as MegaKabuterrimon took his turn. Then, finally, WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon attacked, the impacts injuring Apocalymon severely. He tucked himself into his support structure, and it started spinning wildly. The Digivices lit up, letting their beams out, which imprisoned the structure, containing the following explosion.  
  
"And that's the revelation that was to be. If you'd defeated VenomMyotismon initially. Not guaranteed, of course, but the potential is strong--_was_ strong." she corrected.  
  
"And what are we to do now?" Joe asked.  
  
"I honestly do not know." the spirit replied, "Such an occurrence was never taken into account. Since your arrival, I've had Tsunomon and Koromon scanned; They definitely have the WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon programs within them, and they've taken to their new partners well. There's no reason why they shouldn't be able to reach these levels, even despite all the recent events. But, with Angemon gone, they'll require a new power source to make it possible."  
  
"What sort of power source?" Mimi asked.  
  
"Once again, I do not know. You'll have to develop one on your own. I, likewise, will continue my work, trying to assist you in any way possible. However, after this point, I will be unable to communicate with you. Unlike Gennai, I can not E-Mail you with updates. A meeting such as this requires tremendous power, and are nearly impossible to attempt more than once. Pulling you out of the Convention Center like this seemed a convenient way to save your lives, and I also thought you'd want to know the truth."  
  
"The Convention Center!" Sora exclaimed, "Did we save them?"  
  
"Other than the few you recovered, none of the captives survived. I'm sorry."  
  
Sora was shocked. She looked like she'd taken a slap to the face. _Mom..._  
  
"What about our people? Did the four of them make it out?" Izzy prompted.  
  
"Three did."  
  
"Three? What about the fourth?"  
  
----------------  
  
"Mr. Ishida! Jim! Come over here, quick!"  
  
The two picked up the pace, jogging over to where Mr. Izumi kneeled.  
  
"Jim, you're a Medical Student; Save my wife!" the man cried.  
  
"I'm sorry, sir, there's not much I can do."  
  
He was right. Mrs. Izumi lied, buried under rubble, her top half now exposed from the fallen concrete. Her lower half; even hidden from his sight as it was, it was easy to tell that even if she'd lived, she'd never walk again. And that was a very big if.  
  
She lay there, lifeless: unmoving, unbreathing. Her skin was paler than ever, her face frozen in a state of shock. Her eyes were open, rolled back, and bloodshot.  
  
Mr. Izumi had hoped he was seeing things, but Jim had confirmed it: the woman he loved was dead.  
  
"No." he protested, "Not like this. What did she ever do to deserve this?"  
  
Mr. Ishida didn't answer. He felt sorry for the man, but he himself had lost his family too. Likewise in Jim's case. Determination set in; this war had cost them too much to back down now. No matter what the cost.  
  
"We're all that's left." he explained. "The kids are gone, and Mrs. Izumi, dead. But we must carry on. We must finish what they started, so their souls may be put to rest."  
  
Jim and Mr. Izumi nodded in grim acceptance.  
  
"There's not much we can do now. I've got some resources of my own, back in the TV station. An investigative reporter must always be prepared. My department has some equipment set aside for dangerous investigations--and this is as dangerous as we'll ever see. Let's go there, and see what we can get a hold of."  
  
Jim agreed, "I've got some supplies of my own at my apartment."  
  
Mr. Izumi added, "And my computer can get us everything from maps of the city to satellite surveillance."  
  
"Even through the fog?" Jim asked.  
  
"Oh. My mistake."  
  
"We can't afford to make any more mistakes." Mr. Ishida informed. "If this is going to work, we can't afford any. We'll have to use military precision. Kido, you're our new medic. Izumi, systems analyst, and since I doubt we'll need that all that much, driver. I'll be our infiltrator and scout. There's only one rule: Everyone fights, nobody quits. If you do, I'll kill you myself. Do you get me?"  
  
They replied mockingly, but surprisingly in unison, "We get you, sir!"  
  
"Let's move out. Kido, meet us at the lobby of the TV station in one hour. Be prompt. The sooner you're there, the sooner we can get planning. Myotismon won't be holding anything back; we can't afford to either.  
  
"If it's a fight he wants, then it's a fight he'll get."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, the spirit visited you too." Takeru commented.

"Yeah, so?" Jyou asked.

"I was wondering how that'd work out. When she came to us--"

"--WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon were fighting." Jyou's companion finished. T.K. nodded. "I remember it well."

"But if the arrows didn't work, then there's no WarGreymon or MetalGarurumon, is there?" Hikari asked.

Jyou smiled ironically at the third member of his party. He was definitely a Digimon, although what type was beyond any of them. He replied with a knowing nod, and beckoned for Jyou to continue."

"You'll know, soon enough."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**"What If?"**

**PART SIX**

**Release Date: 8.31.00**

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It's 5:47. The boy has three minutes left. He better be here."  
  
"Jim? He's got a good head on his shoulders; he'll be here." Izumi reassured his colleague.  
  
Ishida repeated, "He's got three minutes."  
  
He made it in two.  
  
Jim barreled through the revolving door; it shuddered as his shoulder hit. Even after he left it, it still spun for moments to come.  
  
Once reaching the two adults, he doubled over, greedily sucking in air. His lungs burned; both from the run and from the dust still stinging the insides. He dropped his bag at their feet; a bag much like Joe's, but filled more. Much more.  
  
"Sorry if I'm late." he apologized, gasping.  
  
"What?" Ishida asked, "Not used to running?"  
  
"No, nothing like that." Jim corrected, "Just this bag is _loaded_."  
  
"Huh? A med-kit can't take that much, can it?" Ishida asked, skeptical.  
  
"A _first aid_ kit doesn't have much to it. Bandages, cleaners, and the like. But unfortunately, with the city gone, a first aid kit just won't cut it. First aid kits are for minor injuries, or slowing major ones until they can get fixed up somewhere else. We, unfortunately, don't have that luxury."  
  
"So leave some of it behind."  
  
"I figured I wouldn't get the chance. We have to stay on the move; this was the bare minimum, taking the somewhat-likely injuries into account."  
  
"Whatever." Ishida dismissed, finding himself at a loss. "C'mon, let's move."  
  
The three of them retreated into the basement of the building. As the elevator descended, Izumi got the feeling this was taking a little long for just a basement. He voiced his concern.  
  
"This ain't no ordinary basement." Ishida replied, as if that explained it all.  
  
"What's different?"  
  
"First off, it doubled as a bomb shelter during the Cold War between the Americans and Soviets. Everyone was afraid of another World War, so we tried to be prepared. When the Cold War ended, we converted the building into the TV station."  
  
Izumi nodded, prompting for more information. Jim stared, attentively.  
  
"And second, it's a stockpile we put together, when we did a story on domestic violence and law enforcement. We've got an assortment of guns, ammo, and armor."  
  
The elevator stopped, and the doors opened.  
  
"We're here." Ishida announced, stating the obvious. "Take whatever you can." Then he amended, eyeing Jim's bag, "If you can."  
  
---------------  
  
_Only three of them made it._ Izzy thought to himself. _And I don't know who the unlucky one was. I wouldn't wish death on anyone, but statistically speaking, odds are if anyone loses someone, it'll be me. Please don't let it be me._  
  
Aloud he chocked out, "So, which one didn't make it?"  
  
The spirit inside Kari replied, "It's hard to tell; all I can feel is that where once there were four life signs, there are now three. Would you like me to check?"  
  
"Please do. We need to know what resources are still available to us." _Ouch_ Izzy though, in hindsight, _That was cold..._  
  
"One moment, please."  
  
They waited; Joe's and Izzy's eyes were pleading, praying, hoping. T.K. didn't understand that much, but he knew to worry. Sora, still reeling from her own losses, wasn't any different. Still hurt, still devastated.  
  
"I sense Mr. Ishida and Mr. Izumi." the spirit began. Joe's and Izzy's expressions still didn't change, and T.K., seeing that their's didn't, his didn't either. "And...I'm sorry, Izzy."  
  
Joe would've sighed in relief, if not for knowing that someone else was gone. Izzy's head hung, pained and sorrowed. He'd known the odds were against him, but he'd still hoped.  
  
Somehow, he managed to swallow back the hurt, stepping into his role as leader with Kari...incapacitated. "We can't afford to lose anyone else; there's been too many already. If at all possible, we need to go back, and finish this once-and-for-all. Can you help us, spirit?"  
  
"Yes, I can send you back. To the battlefield, perhaps? Or would you prefer the TV station?"  
  
"The TV station will be fine." Izzy answered. "Uh, spirit? When we go, will Kari go with us?"  
  
"Once you have left, I will no longer require her to communicate with you. She will be released."  
  
"Good. We leave immediately."  
  
---------------  
  
"Are we good to go?" Ishida asked, dressed for war. He'd broken out a few sets of camo, which they all now wore. To supplement it, he'd chosen night-vision goggles, binoculars, flares, a walkie-talkie, a canteen full of water, two handguns holstered at the hips, and a shoulder mounted rocket launcher--complete with ammunition.  
  
"I am." Jim replied, likewise dressed in the camo. His med-pack had given way to an exterior-frame pack, sternum and waist straps buckled. He also carried a walkie-talkie, canteen, and a heavy shotgun. For ammo, he wore two bandoliers: one armor piercing slugs, one explosive.  
  
"Just a sec'." Izumi warned, from his own spot at the back of the room. "I'm just trying to get this, but it's wedged in. Maybe you guys could help?"  
  
Ishida sighed, almost annoyed, but Jim was still happy. Both moved to help the other man in his struggle.  
  
They saw what he was talking about. A shelf of weaponry had been overstocked, making it nearly impossible to get any of it out. Izumi was going for Demolitions materiel, and was having a hard time of it.  
  
"All right." Ishida ordered, as he and Jim grabbed the box, "On three, pull. One, two, three!"  
  
The three of them pulled, using all their strength. In a huge cloud of dust, the entire shelf came down, followed by the drywall it'd been mounted to. All three men coughed, wafting the dust away from their faces, with little success. Finally, when the dust settled, they could see beyond the wall, into a room they'd never imagined existed.  
  
"Uh, the assault can wait 'til nightfall. Jim, head top-side and take a lookout position; me'n the techie here are gonna get this stuff checked out."  
  
---------------  
  
Jim walked out the rotating door he'd hit on the way in. He didn't like where this rebellion was going; treated like an adult when they need the extra help, and like a kid when they found something better to do. Of all the nerve...  
  
Sure, he admitted they were more qualified to check out that stuff. Izumi spent a lot of time working with electronics, and Ishida worked in the building, but still, they should give him _some_ consideration.  
  
What _were_ those things in that room, anyways? They were obviously some sort of Mecha, but like none he'd ever seen.  
  
His pondering was cut short by 13 figures appearing in midair above him, then collapsing in a heap on him.  
  
Izzy stood, taking charge, "Everybody okay?"  
  
Replying in turn, they all answered:  
  
Mimi, "I'm fine."  
  
Sora, "Me too."  
  
Joe, "Nothing's broken."  
  
T.K., "I'm okay."  
  
Kari, "What happened?"  
  
Izzy opened his mouth to fill her in, but found himself cut off. "I'd like to know the same thing!"  
  
"Jim!" Joe exclaimed, "It's great to see you! Is everything alright?"  
  
"It will be: once you guys all get off me."  
  
They all humbly obliged, breaking up the dogpile and dusting themselves off.  
  
"So," Jim asked, once everyone was clear, "What _did_ happen?"  
  
"I'll fill you in in a moment. Where're Mr. Ishida and my dad?"  
  
_So, at least he knows what he missed on our end..._ "Inside. I've got sentry duty."  
  
"Which leads to my next question: What's with the camo?"  
  
_Or maybe not... _"Long story. I'll fill you in, if you want."  
  
Izzy turned to the others. "Set up a sentry out here. Gatomon, digivolve and take a high lookout position, but stay hidden. Everyone else, stay here, but keep an eye out. If there's any trouble, have Tentomon come get us. Kari, you're with me."  
  
Everyone scattered, setting up in strategic positions. Izzy turned to Jim, "I think I'll take you up on your offer. C'mon, let's go inside."  
  
---------------  
  
"What are these things?" Izumi asked his colleague, confused.  
  
"I've got no idea. We never covered this stuff in investigative training."  
  
"That one on the left looks like a tank, almost. I'm not sure about the other ones."  
  
"Whatever they are, we can use them. They read 'weapon' all over them."  
  
"Yes, we _could_ use them." Izumi agreed, hesitant, "But would it be safe to? We'll have to get them checked out."  
  
"Exactly what we'll be doing now." Ishida agreed, "And if you don't mind..."  
  
"Uh, excuse me, sir?" a voice piped up. A child's voice.  
  
Mr. Izumi thought, turning, _What? One of those evacuees woke up already?_  
  
"Kari! Izzy!" He yelled, surprised.  
  
"What?!?!" Izumi yelled, happily, "They're alive?"  
  
"Either that, or we're dead." Ishida joked. No one laughed.  
  
"If you don't mind, we need your help." Izzy continued, "We've decided that it's high time to bring an end to VenomMyotismon once-and-for-all."  
  
"As have we." Ishida agreed.  
  
"Good." Kari replied, picking up where Izzy left off. "Then you'll understand that if we fail, you guy's'll have to lead the people we rescued to safety."  
  
"Nuh, uh. I see where this is leading; We are _going_ to help in the fight, and that's final." Ishida protested.  
  
"I'm sorry, sir, but someone needs to help these people out, and seeing how you have no digimon, you adults are at a disadvantage in battle."  
  
"Now look, missy. If you think I'm gonna listen to a kid--"  
  
"That's exactly what she's asking." Izzy interrupted. "She is asking that you put a little faith in a kid, 'cause right now that kid is what's holding this whole insurrection together. She got us all out of there when we could've all died. VenomMyotismon could've fried us at his leisure, but she'd been alert enough and thinking well enough to get us out of there. The past week can't have been easy for her; finding out she's the Eighth Child, meeting Gatomon, losing Wizardmon, and now, her brother. She's grown up a lot, and in spite of all that's happened, has managed to pull us all together into a formidable team. You should be proud of this girl, not defensive of her.  
  
"Kari, as well as you've done, we can't totally ignore Mr. Ishida either. He's been in the middle of this as much as any of us. He helped us interpret the prophecy, plan our rebellion, and he's found these resources here for us. When he thought we were dead, he was more-than-prepared to take on this operation himself. It's doubtful he'd have succeeded; digimon are extremely more durable than humans are, and this arsenal might not be enough to slow down VenomMyotismon. But he had the duty and courage to keep trying, not because he thought he'd succeed, but because he knew it was _right_. Don't count him out either.  
  
Now, both of you, we'll need to work _together_ if we're going to stop VenomMyotismon, not arguing. I've got to plan an assault, now, and if the two of you are done bickering, I could use your help. If we're going to war, we'll need to be prepared, and I can't take the risk that I might miss something."  
  
"You? Who says _you_ get to plan this?" Ishida protested.  
  
"Everyone did, the day after the Prophecy fell through. Kari's our field commander, and I'm our strategist."  
  
Ishida glanced at Izumi, then Jim, searching for support. He didn't want to be counted out of this, but Izzy was likely to take the girl's side in this, and Izumi, his.  
  
Eventually, he gave in. "All right, I'll help. What do you want me to do?"  
  
"Jim, Dad, keep checking out those Mecha's." Izzy ordered, "Kari, Mr. Ishida, come with me. We've got a war to plan."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Good. VenomMyotismon's going down!" Daisuke exclaimed.

"Yes, he did." Jyou agreed, "But we paid a great price for the victory. Too great. Now please, allow me to finish."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**"What If?"**

**PART SEVEN**

**Release Date: 9.14.00**

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Alright," Izzy said, taking charge, "Let's review the resources we have available. Digimon-wise, we've got quite an arsenal. There's Angewomon, Megakabuterrimon, Zudomon, Lillymon, and Garudamon, for starters; we already know they're not enough, by themselves. And they're fully-digivolved, so we can't expect any more out of them.  
  
"The spirit told us that Koromon and Tsunomon _can_ digivolve further. WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon are fearsome warriors; I've seen them fight. But, if we're to get their help, we need to unlock their attributes from the Agumon and Gabumon programs. Apparently, this requires a large amount of energy, but if it'll defeat VenomMyotismon, I'm willing to give it a shot.  
  
"And lastly, there's those Mecha Digimon you found, Mr. Ishida. The spirit showed us Gardromon and Mekanorimon while under her care; my analyzer identifies the other one as Tankmon. They're all supposed to be tools of some Digimon named Machinedramon, but apparently, these three were disconnected from his collective. All the better for us.  
  
"Aside from the Digimon, we've got a basement full of weaponry and survival equipment, Jim's bag of medical supplies, Jim's scooter, and my computer.  
  
"I need ideas, people. What can we do, that'll stop VenomMyotismon?"  
  
He stared at Kari, then Ishida, searching for a solution. Neither had one to give.  
  
"What we're forgetting," Kari noted, "Is that not only do we have to stop VenomMyotismon, but we also have to keep the civilians safe. Whatever we do, there needs to be a backup to clear them out, should we fail."  
  
"And I suppose you think I should take that role?" Ishida snapped.  
  
"What? You think you'll be any more helpful anywhere else? You can use those Mecha's to move them, if you have to."  
  
"There's no way you're keeping me out of this fight!"  
  
"That's funny; there's no way I'm letting you into it either!"  
  
"ENOUGH!!!" Izzy exclaimed, his voice echoing even in this small room. "I've about had it with you two; You've done nothing but argue since we re-united. You're bickering won't get us anywhere; all it'll do is drive a wedge between us. If we're going to stop VenomMyotismon, we'll have to work together. You agreed to help plan this, but you're only causing trouble!"  
  
Childishly, Ishida protested, "She started it!"  
  
"Did not!"  
  
"I DON'T CARE! Now shape up, or I'll plan this on my own."  
  
Ishida muttered, "Look what you did! You got us in trouble!"  
  
"Me?" Kari returned, hissing.  
  
A bead of sweat collected Izzy's forehead, as his face adopted a classic "what-did-I-ever-do-to-deserve-this?" expression, anime style.  
  
"If you didn't argue with everything I said..."  
  
"Well if you didn't complain about everything _I_ said..."  
  
"What, like I was gonna sit this one out? You're crazier than I thought."  
  
"_I'm_ crazy? Ever looked in a mirror, lately?"  
  
"_ENOUGH!!!_" Izzy bellowed. "I invited you here to help, but you're just getting in the way. Kari, you're back on watch duty with the others; Mr. Ishida, you're with Jim and my dad, checking out those Mechs. I'll let you know what my final decision is. Now, both of you are dismissed."  
  
---------------  
  
"Hey, Kari!" Joe called, seeing the brown-haired girl exit the building.  
  
She ignored him.  
  
"What's the plan?" he continued. "Where's Izzy?"  
  
"Planning."  
  
"Oh." he replied, "Why aren't you with him?"  
  
"I argued too much with Mr. Ishida."  
  
"Must've been _some_ argument..." Joe commented. Kari stared blankly, not understanding.  
  
"You haven't noticed?" Joe asked. "Izzy cares a lot about you. He must've been _really_ mad to throw you out like that."  
  
"Oh." she acknowledged, but definitely hiding something.  
  
Joe figured it wasn't any of his business. "So where's Mr. Ishida?"  
  
"Doing equipment checks."  
  
"And you've been added to the watch?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Okay. We could always use the help."  
  
She walked past him, walking over to a one-time building support. He sat, leaning against it, hugging her knees, waiting.  
  
---------------  
  
"Okay, here's what I've got." Izzy informed, everyone once again sitting around the table in the "War Room." "Like Kari suggested, Mr. Ishida, Jim, and my Dad are the backup. They're gonna evacuate the civilians if we fail."  
  
Mr. Ishida grimaced, but didn't say anything. Kari smiled, in private victory.  
  
"Everyone else, the way I see it, the best way to defeat VenomMyotismon is with those Mega forms the spirit told us about. For that we need power. In theory, by running a strong current through Tai and Matt's digivices, we should be able to get the power boost we need. And the largest source of electricity is gonna be our next target."  
  
"The power plant." Jim declared, understanding. Izzy nodded.  
  
"Our problem," he continued, "Is VenomMyotismon already destroyed it. We'll have to go digging for underground cables, which will take time. Time we won't have. Sora and T.K. will have to be there, since Tsunomon and Koromon have bonded to them. Together with Biyomon, the five of them will have to find the cable make the transformation happen. Meanwhile, Lillymon, Zudomon, Megakabuterrimon, and Angewomon will hold off VenomMyotismon."  
  
"Wouldn't our resources be better spent using MegaKabuterrimon, Zudomon, and Garudamon in the evacuation?" Izumi put in, "I mean, they _did_ conduct the original. We know they can handle it."  
  
"Much as I'd like to agree with you," Izzy replied, "They're needed elsewhere."  
  
"Why?" Ishida asked, adding to his colleague. "We've got equipment. We've got weapons. We can handle the big guy."  
  
"No." Izzy denied, "He's too strong."  
  
"I'd love to see him stand up to Izumi's demolitions work. We could lure him to a gas station, and BOOM!"  
  
"That won't get us the power we need for the Mega's, though."  
  
"Sure it will! Regular, Unleaded, or Special?"  
  
"We need electricity."  
  
"Not if the big guy's already gone."  
  
"It's a good alternative." Sora interrupted, always the peacekeeper. "If we don't make it, it's an idea you can pull off without us. For now, though, Izzy's in charge, and while both ideas are good, I think Izzy has a better idea of what he's talking about."  
  
Ishida grumpily backed down.  
  
"Now, the sooner we strike, the sooner it'll be over. Unless anyone has any other suggestions, it's time to move."  
  
They didn't.  
  
---------------  
  
Thanks to the munitions dump, the digidestined were outfitted with fatigues, guns, and Sora and T.K. with flashlights and shovels. They left, taking a forced march for the power plant, using cover wherever possible.  
  
Once they were out of sight, Ishida grumbled, "They just _can't_ keep us out of the fight. They'll need us."  
  
"According to these specs I've pulled," Izumi agreed, "These Mecha are powerful, maybe even more so than their own Digimon."  
  
Jim protested, "But Izzy said to stay here."  
  
"He didn't know how powerful these are." Izumi commented. "We could probably take on VenomMyotismon, easy. If nothing else, we've got the demolitions equipment too."  
  
"Even so, they said to stay here." Jim added, finding no sympathy in his audience. "And we don't even know how they work."  
  
"Izzy said they were Digimon." Ishida said, as if it explained everything. "The kids control their Digimon by giving them orders, why shouldn't these work the same way?"  
  
Jim gave up, finding his efforts lost.  
  
"I'm gonna fly Mekanorimon." Ishida declared, though not explaining which 'mon was which. "Why don't you take Gardromon, Izumi, and you take Tankmon, Kido."  
  
Izumi had no idea which was which, but assumed the tank was Tankmon, and that if Ishida was flying, he'd take the one with wings. He nodded his agreement.  
  
"Good." Ishida said, "Let's move."  
  
---------------  
  
"We're he-ere!" Gomamon announced cheerfully. Just like him; always ready with a joke.  
  
"Quiet!" his counterpart hissed. "Do you _want_ VenomMyotismon to find us?"  
  
"Well, it's a lot better than hearing you complain..." Gomamon muttered.  
  
"I'll never understand you digimon."  
  
"Good. Being predictable gets so boring."  
  
"I guess." Joe sighed, regretfully. "But I wouldn't be reliable if I wasn't."  
  
"Darn straight." Gomamon laughed.  
  
"Okay," Izzy said, recalling everyone's attention. "This is where we split up. Sora, T.K.; go straight into what's left of the building. Try to find a stairwell leading to a basement. You can tap the cable from there."  
  
"How do we know how to tap it?"  
  
"Find the circuit breaker, and cut the power. Cut the cable, hook the ends to the digivice input and output ports, then turn the power back on. Understand?"  
  
Sora nodded.  
  
"Good." Izzy confirmed. "The rest of us, head West, but not so far we can't be here to help if they need it. Digivolve there, so we don't call attention here. Likewise, if we see VenomMyotismon, make a lot of noise to keep his attention away from the power plant. Any time we can buy for them is essential."  
  
"But won't that mean putting ourselves at risk?" Mimi asked.  
  
"Unfortunately, yes. But WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon _can_ stop VenomMyotismon; we've seen it happen. And this is the only chance we've got to acquire them, so we'd best make it count."  
  
"Don't worry." Joe added to her, privately. "I won't let anything happen to you. You can count on it."  
  
_Oh, Joe..._ Mimi thought, _Always so reliable..._  
  
If Izzy heard the exchange, he pretended not to. "Today we're gonna fight VenomMyotismon, and we're gonna hit him where it hurts. I've already told you how important is; all that matters is that VenomMyotismon is a threat, and he must be dealt with.--"  
  
He found himself interrupted as the hulking form rose in the horizon, yawning after a nap.  
  
"And he probably knows we're coming."  
  
---------------  
  
"Y'know, this is almost fun!" Zudomon remarked, hammering into a pile of rubble, sending concrete shrapnel flying everywhere.  
  
"Yeah," Joe agreed, sickly, "In a creepy, twisted, sadistic sort of way."  
  
"Hey, Angewomon!" MegaKabuterrimon called, wanna give me a little help with this Gas Station?"  
  
"Sure!" she accepted, "I'll fly up and let loose a Celestial Arrow, okay?"  
  
She flew up, really enjoying herself. Now _this_ was fun; she got the chance to annoy the guy who killed Wizardmon, and let loose pent-up energy. She started to summon up one of her brilliant arrows, but something caught her eye. "Kari!" she announced, "We have incoming."  
  
"VenomMyotismon?" the girl asked, standing back like a foreman, surveying the work of her demolitions crew.  
  
"Nope. Something different."  
  
"Let me take a look."  
  
Angewomon came down, and picked up her Digidestined. They flew above, Kari surveying the new interlopers.  
  
"I can make out two, no, three shapes, all headed for the plant. One's flying low, but the other two appear to be grounded." She spoke softly, but not _too_ softly. After a moment, the data clicked. "Oh, no... Angewomon. Get me over there. Now."  
  
Izzy watched as Kari flew off. What was she doing? They needed her help. And alone, she'd be vulnerable. He turned to call his Digimon to help.  
  
Only to watch as MegaKabuterrimon was hammered into the very Gas Station he'd targeted for demolition. In a huge explosion, he was sent flying, de-digivolving into little Motimon. Izzy scooped up his friend, and ran after Kari, as fast as his ten-year-old legs would carry him.  
  
---------------  
  
"Okay," Sora said, "I think that's the circuit breaker over there."  
  
"So what do we do now?" TK piped.  
  
"Throw the switch, and look for a cable."  
  
"Oh, okay."  
  
Flashlights ready, the two threw the switch. And the wall caved in.  
  
---------------  
  
"We're not gonna make it, Kari." Angewomon announced.  
  
"Just get us there; I'll worry about timing later."  
  
Angewomon debated whether that made sense. "Whatever you say, Kari."  
  
Then Kari remembered, as she watched the three forms plow through a wall.  
  
"Angewomon. Get me down there. Now."  
  
--------------  
  
"I don't think that was s'posed to happen."  
  
"Me neither, T.K." Sora agreed, coughing on dust.  
  
"Why did the wall cave in like that?"  
  
"I think something hit it." She answered, looking at the three new forms.  
  
T.K. saw what she saw. "Those're the bad guys the spirit showed us!"  
  
"Biyomon, I think you'd better digivolve."  
  
---------------  
  
_I hope I'm not too late..._ Kari thought, her mind rushing. _This is all my fault. If I'd let them come along in the first place, then the other's would've known about them. Oh, I hope I'm not too late._  
  
---------------  
  
_Here we go, Izzy._ Mr. Ishida thought. _We're gonna get you that power source, and then we're gonna help take down VenomMyotismon. Then, maybe then, we'll have made up for Matt's death._  
  
"Huh?" Jim asked, snapping his attention back. "Garudamon?"  
  
---------------  
  
_Kari, I don't know where you're going, but please, please come back to me._ Izzy. _We need your help if we're gonna stop VenomMyotismon. We need everyone we can to buy Sora and T.K. more time._  
  
_And I need you._  
  
---------------  
  
"Garudamon," Sora ordered, ruthless, this one obstacle between her and avenging Tai's death, "They're the bad guys. They must be here to help VenomMyotismon stop us. And we can't let that happen. You know what to do."  
  
---------------  
  
_There's not enough time. Nothing I can do. They're gonna die, and it's all my fault. No way I can reach them. No time._  
  
_I'll make time._  
  
They we're 50 meters out. 40, 30. Closing fast, but not fast enough. She saw Garudamon readying an attack.   
  
_It's gonna take a miracle to pull this off, but if it works..._  
  
She squirmed from Angewomon's arms, and dove.  
  
---------------  
  
_Finally, I'll have beaten you, you bastard._ Sora gloated inwardly, rejoicing in this final moment of triumph. _Once you're gone, it won't matter what that Bitch, Kari, has to say anymore. I won't need her anymore._  
  
_But will it bring Taichi back?_  
  
_What does it matter? Either way, VenomMyotismon must be stopped, and revenge just makes the victory sweeter. All I have to do now it tap that cable..._  
  
_The Cable._  
  
"Wing Blaze!"  
  
"Garudamon! No!"  
  
---------------  
  
"What're they doing?" Jim asked. Internal comm frequencies _definitely_ had their advantages.  
  
"I'm not sure." Izumi remarked.  
  
Ishida gasped, "They think we work for VenomMyotismon."  
  
"No way."  
  
"Why would they think that?"  
  
"You got a better idea?" Ishida asked. "They _are_ attacking."  
  
"So this is it? This is how we join the fight?" Jim asked, almost ironically, "As _target practice?_"  
  
"Looks like." Ishida agreed, gruffly. "I'm sorry I brought you guys into this."  
  
"We all agreed to it." Jim corrected.  
  
"And we're all gonna follow it through." Izumi added. "After all, it's gonna take a miracle to get out of this."  
  
The attack flew through the air, towards the three men. They were enveloped by a huge flash of light, and everyone seemed to blink.  
  
Did it work?  
  
They were all shocked by what they saw. T.K. fainted, and Sora broke into tears.  
  
But perhaps Matt's father summed it up best of all...  
  
"Oh Shit!"  
  
---------------  
  
Woah! What a surge of power! Koromon could feel programming he'd never dreamed existed. It's like he got all the energy he needed from that blast.  
  
He looked down at the burnt body.  
  
_No._ He thought, _Not like this..._  
  
But there wasn't time to dwell on it; VenomMyotismon needed to be destroyed.  
  
New and improved, WarGreymon knew he'd be the one to do it.  
  
---------------  
  
Izzy winced, his run ceased, his arms attempting to protect him from the flurry of color before him. Enveloped by a huge fireball of burning brilliance.  
  
_And Kari's right in the middle of it._  
  
"Kari!" he exclaimed, resuming the march, at a considerably faster pace.  
  
---------------  
  
Izzy ran to where the others were watching the battle, finding them all depressed. T.K. was on the ground, and Sora was sobbing. The adults sat together, comforting each other.  
  
Izzy ran up to him, "What's going on? Where's Kari?"  
  
T.K. tried to answer, but found he couldn't. He led Izzy behind the now-abandoned Mecha, and pointed at the body.  
  
His eyes flared angrily with realization, "Tell me _everything_!"  
  
---------------  
  
"You...murderer!" Izzy screamed at Sora, ignoring the fact that T.K. was equally involved, "I knew you were mad, but to go this far..."  
  
Sora opened his mouth to reply, but Izzy wasn't finished, "You were with them all along! You teamed up because he could help you get rid of her."  
  
"I'm sorry," Sora choked, softly.  
  
"Oh, you better believe it!" Izzy barked, lunging savagely at the girl.  
  
"Hey!" T.K. exclaimed, "It wasn't her fault!"  
  
"No, he's right." she replied, "I killed Kari."  
  
Izzy opened his mouth to add his own rude remark, but Sora wasn't finished.  
  
"Just like she killed Tai.  
  
"Now, I understand, Izzy. I understand that Tai's death wasn't her fault. Just like I hope you can understand that her's wasn't mine.  
  
"I've done something terrible. But all I can hope is that you can find it in your heart to forgive me."  
  
Her crest began to glow, sending a stream of light shooting up, high into the sky, like a beacon.  
  
Light. Like Kari's. The light that gave birth to WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon. The light that jump started the crests.  
  
The light that defeated Myotismon.  
  
Finally, young Kari would live up to her prophecy. As a hero. As a savior.  
  
As a Digidestined.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"The rest resolved much the same as in your world. The Crests all lit up, binding VenomMyotismon down. Through a joint effort, WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon blasted VenomMyotismon into digi-dust. Then, much like your Digidestined, we returned to the Digiworld, only to find it in ruin. With our numbers down, we had our work cut out for us."

"So, that's it?" Daisuke protested. "Kari's dead?"

"Yes. But if not for her sacrifice, I'd not be here today."

"So, you defeated the Dark Masters, faced Apocalymon, and came home?" Kari asked. "Like us."

"Please excuse my error. VenomMyotismon's downfall was much the same in our world as in yours. But afterwards." He shuddered. "Afterwards, everything got _much_ worse."

"MUCH worse."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To Be Continued in "New Gennai Order – Prologue II of II: "If Only…"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Email me at [RyanBerke@aol.com][1]. Questions, comments and criticism are welcome!  
  
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   [1]: mailto:RyanBerke@aol.com
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	3. NGO Prologue II of II: If Only

"New Gennai Order --Prologue II of II: "If Only…"

(C) March 2001, Ryan Berke

http://ryanberke.cjb.net/

This entire story is dedicated to my loyal friend and beta reader, Thinker.I know I probably still could have done this without him, but I honestly can't see how!Much as I'm sure we all missed your fanfiction, buddy, I know everyone'll love your book.

((DISCLAIMER: I do not own, nor do I claim to own, any of the Digimon characters (heck, I refuse to claim even the ones I made up! Feel free to steal them!) They are all property of FoxKids, Toei, and Bandai. I haven't received any permission ahead of time, but then this wouldn't be a Fanfic, would it? Likewise, I do not own the song "What If?" by Creed))

((ADDITIONAL DISCLAIMER: This story is not Copywritten, as implied by the heading. (c) stands for "completed," allowing me to know when I wrote it.))

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Huh?" Davis exclaimed, "What do you mean, Everything just got worse?Tai and Matt are dead, Angemon's dead, Kari's dead; what else could go wrong?"

"Patience." Jyou ordered."I'll let you know tomorrow.It's late, and I'm sure we'll all want to break camp."

"Yeah," Kari agreed, "Let's go find the digi-port and get back home."

"You can come and go as you please?" Jyou asked, dumbstruck.

"You couldn't?" Yolei laughed.Jyou's silent affirmation quieted her.

"Come with us." Kari offered."You can stay with Tai and me."

"That's awful nice of you and all," Jyou hesitated, "But--"

"That's an order, Jyou." Kari added, somehow keeping a straight face.

Jyou smiled."Hell, why not?It'll give me a chance to catch up with the past leaders of the digidestined.Count me in."

---------------

Jyou's arrival at the Kamiya residence was surprising, at best.Thanks to his traveling companions, the digimon among them helped him to fly in the back way, avoiding the trouble of Kari's parents.Thankfully, with sundown on the horizon, if anyone saw their entrance, they paid it little attention.Tai was out, but that didn't mean they couldn't get ready.

"Any chance Tai keeps a razor around here somewhere?" Jyou asked,"I haven't shaved since...well, ever."

"I don't think he does," Kari replied, "but Dad should have one in the bathroom."

"Thanks."

That was a troubling thought, one she had to admit she'd not thought about.Jyou with a beard, albeit one comprised mostly of stubble.The Jyou she was used to was always clean, and wouldn't be caught dead saying anything that suggested otherwise.She was dealing with an outside force here, and despite the wild story, perhaps one too wild to discount immediately, it was definitely not the Joe she was used to.Which, knowing this was an alternative Joe only further cemented his story of being from another world, which made her feel all that much sorrier for him.But if he _was_ an outsider, and if he _was_ planning on betraying them, he'd be going for all the sympathy he could get.But if--

She shook her head to clear the chaos.Trans-universal Metaphysics were confusing!

Without warning, the smell of warm food invaded her nostrils, and she knew it to be almost time for dinner.Raised to be polite, she turned to her remaining guests as any good host would, "I'm sorry.You must be hungry."

"I don't eat." the girl replied.If Hikari noticed the interesting choice of words, she didn't ask.

"I'm fine too." the digimon added.

Kari shrugged before carrying on.

The front door squeaked open, as the apartment's other inhabitant shouted, "Hey everyone, I'm home!"

Tai was back.She'd have an awful lot of explaining to do.

"Hi, Tai." she greeted, somewhat more forced than usual.Not that he'd notice the subtleties involved."Mind if I introduce you to a few friends I met today?"

"They're over here now?" he asked.She nodded."Do Mom and Dad know?"

"No." she admitted."I thought you should know first."

"Oh, _those_ kind of friends..." he realized."Fine, but if it's Gotsumon's again, out they go."

"Not, exactly..." she stumbled.

"Who is it then, Kari?" he asked, urgently.

By accident or design, Jyou chose just that moment to peer out of the bathroom.Shirtless, no less.Tai's eyes went wide at the sight of the half-naked boy he'd called friend.Every protective instinct in his body flipped on, and he vowed to make this guy pay if he'd done anything.Not that Joe hadn't faced worse, but Tai couldn't possibly know that."Hey, Tai, welcome home!" Joe called, maintaining friendliness, "You got any shaving gel around here anywhere?"

Tai knew what his instincts said, and they said to ignore Joe for the moment.He turned to face Kari, and get the story from her first."Kari?Have you and Joe been--"

Kari's eye's bugged out at the implication, and immediately spoke to cut him off."Nothing like that.It's a bit more complicated than that."

If Tai's eyes went any wider then they were, they'd pop out of their sockets."Then you're--"

"Jeez, Tai.Let me finish!"Kari replied."The Jyou that's here now isn't from our world, but from an alternate representation of it."

"I dunno," Tai said, skeptical, "Sounds kinda fishy to me."He didn't much like the thought that Kari was keeping things from him, especially things so unlikely.Sounded like a bald-faced lie, if ever he'd heard one.

"It's a long story, one I'd rather have wait until we let the poor man get some dinner in him." she added."Besides, could our Joe have grown hair that long so fast?"

Tai turned to face the intruder, who still maintained vigil in the doorway, waiting for response.His hair had, in fact, grown quite far in the past few years; he currently sported a thick knot of beyond shoulder-length hair, neatly brushed into place by the hospitality of the local residence.He'd taken the liberty of pulling it back into a ponytail--clearer, more efficient, and out from getting in the way.

Tai sighed.Kari was right; it was almost dinner time, and if this story was as long as he imagined it was, there wasn't the time for it now."It's in the medicine cabinet, top shelf." he offered, hospitably."Anything else I can do to help?"

He wished the grin pasted on is face didn't look as fake as it felt.

"I'll let you know if there is." Joe replied."Kari, do you know if Kami and WarAgumon need anything?"

Tai got the impression he was missing a lot here.

"Tai, Kari!" mother called, with a thankful interruption."Dinner time!"

Whatever it was, he'd find out in the morning.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Alright." Davis declared, "Is everybody back yet?"

"Ready and waiting." Izzy replied.They'd come to him for help in entering through the digiport again, and ended up bringing him along.Matt was here too, courtesy of T.K.Joe had recapped the previous day's retelling, and was ready to begin anew.

He took a deep breath, clearing his mind, collecting his thoughts."Okay.Here we go."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**"If Only…"**

**PART ONE**

**Release Date: 11.07.00**

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Huh?" T.K. asked. "Everything's gone wacko!"  
  
"And _that's_ an understatement." Izzy added.  
  
"How could all this happen?" Sora asked?  
  
They were back. In the digiworld. Sort of.  
  
VenomMyotismon was gone. Destroyed. For good.  
  
Finally.  
  
It'd cost them dearly. Tai, Matt, Kari, and Angemon were dead. Gatomon was reduced to Salamon, and couldn't digivolve anymore. And worst of all, morale had reached an all-time low.  
  
Not one of Joe's best days.  
  
"So, what now?" he asked. "How're we gonna save the day this time, Izzy?"  
  
"Don't look at me!" the younger boy protested. "I had my chance to lead. Kari's dead. I guess that means I don't have what it takes."  
  
"Fair enough." Joe reasoned, turning. "Sora?"  
  
"You're asking the person who killed Kari?"  
  
"Mimi? T.K.?" Both shook their heads.  
  
_What're we going to do?_ he panicked, _We need leadership!_  
  
Desperately, he asked, "Agumon? Gabumon?" Still no. "Anyone?"  
  
_This is not good. Not good at all._  
  
_Well, your crest _is_ Reliability. Give them something to rely on._  
  
"I guess it's up to me." he concluded. "Let's go visit Gennai."  
  
---------------  
  
For a general plan, it seemed sound. The prophecy wasn't Gennai's fault, and he'd otherwise been helpful in the past. He made the perfect advisor--and if there was one thing they needed, it was advice.  
  
Then why did the idea make the hair on the back of Joe's neck stand on end?  
  
Somehow, almost magically, Gennai's house had escaped assimilation into Spiral Mountain. The pond drained, taken by MetalSeadramon, bones of dead fish littered the ground. The earth was cracked, one-time mud dried and shattered from the lack of growth. The valley sported an eerie, gray fog. The air reeked of death and despair.  
  
Desolate. Foreboding. Short and simple: Creepy.  
  
Or, as Mimi preferred: Icky.  
  
"Eww!" she exclaimed. "What happened?"  
  
"We we're only gone a week." Sora reasoned, agreeing.  
  
"But remember when we all split up to look for Tai?" Izzy asked. "Months passed, but he said he was only gone a few hours."  
  
"What're you getting at?" Joe asked, intrigued.  
  
"I believe there is a time difference between our world and the digital world." he explained. "Based on a conversion rate of a day a minute, I'd say we were gone at least 10,000 days, or about 30 years!"  
  
"I guess that means we can't say it looks just the same as we left it." Gomamon piqued.  
  
"Guess not." Sora agreed.  
  
"Might I suggest we go ahead and _enter_ the house?" Tentomon advise.  
  
"Yes, let's." Izzy agreed. "After all: Gennai's waiting."  
  
---------------  
  
"Come in." an ancient voice rasped.  
  
They stood in a foyer; Gennai's taste in decor had _really_ changed in 30 years. The walls were painted in Imperial Grays; the windows, accented harshly by steel-framed panes. Royal Crimson and Violet tapestries hung on the walls, making a bold statement of the room in general. Once-empty doorways now sported vault-like doors. One could scarcely avoid feeling humbled visiting such an environment.  
  
"Come in!" the voice echoed, booming off the cold, lifeless walls. Still raspy, but bold enough to demand respect.  
  
Not exactly the Gennai Izzy remembered.  
  
He brought up the rear, following the others all the way into the foyer, taking Joe's lead. The door slammed shut, metal-on-metal rings filling the room. A crank turned, a deadbolt fell into place. It was obvious the digidestined wouldn't be leading the way they came in.  
  
Ahead of them, the other vault door remained closed. Above it, speakers pumped, "Who dares to visit me?"  
  
"Gennai?" Joe asked. "It's us: the Digidestined."  
  
The voice softened. "My apologies for my rudeness. It's a harsh time, these days. One must appear strong in the face of opposition."  
  
"We understand." Joe replied. "We'd do the same in your shoes."  
  
He could just imagine the head shaking in disbelief behind the door. "The digidestined. Boy, that's a big one. We'd given you up for dead."   
  
"Some of us are." Sora observed, bluntly. "Tai's gone. So are Matt, Kari, and Angemon.  
  
Gennai sighed, without acknowledging, "You've been gone a long time."  
  
"We were delayed, somewhat." Izzy explained. "There appears to be a time difference between out world and yours."  
  
"Indeed?" Gennai asked. "Well, we'll just have to do something about that, won't we?"  
  
To their left, the wall lit up, revealing a giant screen.  
  
"Ooh! A big screen T.V.!" Mimi exclaimed, "I hope we get HBO!"  
  
"Dibs on MTV!" Palmon added.  
  
"I want Comedy Central!" Gomamon.  
  
A mechanical voice cut in. "Scanning complete. Displaying results."  
  
The screen timed out. An almost comical "Please Wait..." kicked in.  
  
Joe opened his mouth to remark, but found he couldn't. Not the way his jaw ended up dropping. Dropping at the image on the screen.  
  
Apocalymon.  
  
He panicked, "Oh, no _way_ can we handle this!"  
  
The computer ignored him. "Apocalymon." it agreed, profiling the beast. "Digimon, Virus Type. The Essence of Evil. Believed to be the source of all Virus Digimon. Created by everything lost in the Digivolving process. Special Attacks: Reverse Digivolve and Total Annihilation, among others."  
  
Joe composed himself. Barely. "This is the big one, guys. We're a little short on firepower, but we can stop him."  
  
"Indeed." Gennai boomed. "Apocalymon shall be no more."  
  
In a flash of light, he was right. Out of no-where, Apocalymon exploded into Digi-dust.  
  
"But how..." Sora asked, in disbelief.  
  
"It's not possible!" Izzy agreed.  
  
"Step inside." Gennai boomed, the door opening. "All will be explained."  
  
---------------  
  
Joe reached to his chest, grabbing for his crest. For good luck. After all, how could a symbol of the cross _not_ be lucky? He felt the familiar shape of the tag in his hand. Familiar shape, but not familiar _feel_.  
  
He stole a glance at it. The Crest of Light.  
  
Part of the new leadership plan: he'd gotten all the excess crests. Light, Courage, and Hope. Best to leave them in one person's hands then split them up. He'd gotten Agumon and Salamon too.  
  
The last members of the team stepped in, and the door shut behind them. The room was crafted with one intent: to accent the elevated podium, front-and-center. It reminded one of a church sanctuary, university lecture hall, or even a throne room.  
  
At the podium, a hooded figure sat, bathed in shadows. He face wasn't visible, but if it matched his disposition, one wouldn't want it to be.  
  
"Welcome." it greeted, voice louder and harsher than before. It greedily sucked in air, as if having great difficulty breathing.  
  
"How'd you do that?" Izzy rudely asked, tactless and direct, curiosity getting the best of him, "How'd you defeat Apocalymon?"  
  
"He may of been powerful," Gennai agreed, "But he was nothing when compared to the power of the Force."  
  
"The Force?" laughed Joe, "What is this, Star Wars?"  
  
"Behold!" Gennai replied, rising, "I am...Darth Gennai!"  
  
"Darth Gennai," the computer kicked in, displaying a 3-D image in mid-air. "Digimon, Virus Type. Possibly--"  
  
"Silence!" Darth Gennai wailed. T.K.'s hat suddenly took flight, smashing into random machinery in a shower of sparks.  
  
"Hey!" T.K. protested.  
  
"Not now, little brother." Joe shushed.  
  
"Stupid machine! You ruined my entrance!" Darth Gennai sulked, oblivious. He sighed, "I guess I'll have to get that fixed..."  
  
Izzy was fascinated, "How did this happen? I thought you had no attributes."  
  
"So did I." Darth Gennai agreed. "I guess we were wrong. It took your absences to bring it out in me."  
  
"Our being gone made you this?" Sora asked. "How awful."  
  
"Not really," Darth Gennai argued, "I've embraced the dark energies, and saved the digital world."  
  
"_Saved_ it?"  
  
"How else?" he reasoned, "I've just defeated the source of all evil, brought tyrants like the Dark Masters to their knees, and converted die-hard virii into my own Gennai Knights."  
  
"Those powers can only corrupt," Izzy reasoned, "If you embrace them, it can only lead to no good."  
  
"A necessary risk." Darth Gennai dismissed, "The Digiworld is safe now. I've destroyed everything that opposed me." he explained, "And I'm afraid, if you're not with me, you're against me."  
  
Defensive instincts kicked on within Joe. He had to protect his people; had to give them someone to rely on. Had to get out of here.  
  
"Agumon, Biyomon: target the walls. Get those tapestries burning. Gabumon, Tentomon: the machinery. Palmon, Salamon: anything else. Gomamon, digivolve."  
  
The digimon, confused as they were, followed his orders. Within moments, Gennai's throne room was in shambles.  
  
"You'll pay for this, digidestined!" he roared, "You'll pay!"  
  
---------------  
  
Safely outside, the team regrouped. Through the cover of chaos, and an exit via a Vulcan's Hammer, the made for a pretty good escape.  
  
"Okay." Joe began, calling for their attentions. "Gennai's the bad guy this time. All bad guys work for him, he holds all the cards. We'll have to lie low for a while, and poke at him with hit-and-run tactics." He was ahead of himself, he realized, as an occurrence took root.  
  
"Everyone here?" he checked.  
  
"T.K.'s gone!" Sora exclaimed.  
  
"Tentomon!" Izzy added.  
  
_Great, Joe. Just great. Back in the digiworld for 2 hours, and already you're a few men down. Not good._  
  
_Not good at all._

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I guess you were right." T.K. sighed.

"Huh?" Davis asked.He didn't mind the victory--he just wished he knew what it was."What do you mean?"

"Yesterday," T.K. reminded him."You said I'd be next.And I was."

"What?" Davis exclaimed."I didn't mean it like that!I just...er...that is..."

"It's okay, Davis." Kari replied."We know you didn't mean it.You were just joking; you'd never really _try_ to hurt T.K., would you?"

Davis mulled that one over as much as he ever did: a few split-seconds, at best.Kari was siding with him; should he cut his losses, or take the opportunity to one-up T.K.?He opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Unfortunately for you," the voice laughed from above, "I have no reservations against inflicting damage."

The local digidestined all resounded their realizations in unison, "The Digimon Emperor!"

"The one and only!" Ken laughed."Not only do you dare to intrude upon my land, but you bring guests with you.Well, I've always thought of myself as a considerate host; I'll spare their lives until I'm finished bringing an end to yours!"

"You'll have to find us first!" Armadillomon replied.He armor digivolved, and drilled out a home-made cavern.Rock split under foot, and the Digidestined and their bizarre companions fell in.Once everyone had been secured, Digmon secured the entrance.

"Geez, this guy sure loves to hear himself talk." Jyou coughed, as dust still had yet to finish clearing.

"Don't underestimate him." Yolei cautioned, "He can stop digimon from evolving on a whim."

"We've faced worse."Jyou's jaded reply.

"Well, seeing as we've got nothing but time on our hands," Matt observed."Tell us."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**"If Only…"**

**PART TWO**

# Release Date: 11.18.00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reliability. That's your crest, that's your skill. You're doing this because someone has to. The team needs a leader, and they need someone to rely on.  
  
But how can they rely on someone who lost T.K.?  
  
It was for the good of the team. His sacrifice meant the rest of us made it.  
  
You called him your brother.  
  
He needed a brother. Matt was gone, and I was there. It made sense.  
  
They needed a leader. Tai and Kari are gone. You're here. That makes sense too.  
  
Exactly.  
  
How many of _them_ are you willing to sacrifice?  
  
Oh, be quiet!  
  
Why? 'Cause you know I'm right?  
  
SHUT UP!!!  
  
"Joe?" Mimi asked, concerned.  
  
Joe snapped forward, almost at random, wailing, "Make the voices stop!!!"  
  
"It's okay." Mimi soothed, "You're safe, now."  
  
"No, it's not okay." he countered, "T.K. is dead."  
  
"Nobody blames you."  
  
"_I_ blame me."  
  
"There was nothing you could've done."  
  
Joe stuttered, "I should've been more careful. Should've watched out for him."  
  
"There was no way you could've know what'd happen." She replied, "Gennai's changed; no one knew what he'd do. We've all changed."  
  
"But-"  
  
"And I, for one, think you've changed for the better."  
  
He paused, looking her in the eye. A tear froze in place. A tear, just like her own crest of sincerity.  
  
"You really think so?"  
  
She smiled, taking his hand comfortingly, "I know so."  
  
"Alright." he stood, "Let's move. We've only got a few hours until dark."  
  
"Move?" Mimi asked, "Move where?"  
  
Joe explained, "If I'm going to lead, I'll need to be someone y'all can rely on. And for that I'll need to plan ahead."  
  
"Sounds logical." she mocked.  
  
"To plan, we'll need information; that means getting some recon. For land, I'll use Agumon, and for water, Gomamon. I'd use Angewomon for air, but Salamon can't digivolve."  
  
"So who'll you use?" Mimi asked, intrigued.  
  
"Lillymon." he replied bluntly.  
  
---------------  
  
"Alrighty, gang." Joe began. The team had broken for camp, and everyone sat around him listening, save Agumon, who tended to the flickering campfire. "The results of our reconnaissance are in. Here's where we stand:  
  
"Back in the real world, the spirit showed us an alternate world, where the digi-world was taken over by four super-beings who called themselves the dark masters. They were Mega digimon, like WarGreymon or MetalGarurmon, and each were powerful in their own way. In our world, they're still here, but Gennai overwhelmed them. Now they serve him as his 'Gennai Knights'."  
  
Izzy snorted with laughter, but caught a glare from Joe. He glanced at Palmon and Gomamon, and each nodded their confirmations.  
  
"When Gennai digivolved, he kept his sense of humor, hence the names he's chosen." Joe explained, "But we've got to remember, he _is_ powerful, and even managed to overthrow the very essence of all evil on a whim. If we thought VenomMyotismon was tough, Darth Gennai'll be even tougher.  
  
"When the Dark Masters took over, they warped the digiworld into Spiral Mountain to make it easier to conquer. He'd change it back if he could, but force of nature he is not. Each of them control their own sectors, and he controls them.  
  
"The sector we're in right now belongs to the Gennai Knight called 'Puppetmon'. He's not too powerful, a pushover really. All his power comes from his manipulative nature, and his dominance over weak flunkies."  
  
"So, in other words," Sora asked, "We can beat him if we can get to him, but we can't."  
  
"Pretty much." Joe agreed, "But we've got a trump card.  
  
"When Etemon died, he didn't reconfigure like the other digimon we've fought. He warped through a portal. We hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now he's back, bigger and badder than ever, as MetalEtemon.  
  
"He fell in a meteor into this sector, and has been fighting with Puppetmon for control ever since. He's Mega too, but not very powerful. He's built up his own little resistance, using flunkies of his own to fight those of Puppetmon. It's a losing battle, but a prolonged one at that. With his help, we'll be able to get past the flunkies, and stop Puppetmon."  
  
"What?" Sora protested, "Help Etemon?"  
  
"He's one of our biggest enemies ever!" Biyomon agreed.  
  
"I know it doesn't look good, but we need him." Joe defended. "With Puppetmon gone, he'll be in control of this sector. That'll keep Gennai busy, and we'll have a little more breathing room to work with."  
  
Sora and Biyomon grumbled, but resentfully submitted.  
  
"One last thing." Joe added. "The spirit showed us how this needs to work out. We need MetalGarurumon to beat Puppetmon. For that, we'll need the Crest of Friendship. T.K. has that crest."  
  
He didn't need to finish the thought; everyone understood the implications. He chose to anyway.  
  
"And DarthGennai has T.K."  
  
---------------  
  
"You want _what?_" MetalEtemon bellowed. It was bright and early, as early as Joe could manage--and he barely managed to get this far past the sentries.  
  
Joe winced at the tone, but held his position. "We want you to help us against Darth Gennai."  
  
"Do I look stupid, kid?" Etemon asked. "I want him gone much as the next guy, but you're talkin' suicide!"  
  
"You know it's the right thing to do."  
  
"Since when have I ever done the right thing?" Etemon refused. "Suppose I decide to kill you right where you stand."  
  
"A lot has happened. I've got friends in high places; I may die, but you'll live to wish you had."  
  
"How do I know you're telling the truth?"  
  
"Do you really want to find out?"  
  
Etemon bit his Metal lip. "And if I _do_ agree to help you, what do I get out of this--not saying I will."  
  
"Puppetmon's kingdom," Joe grinned, "Not saying you will."  
  
Etemon thought for a moment. "Well, then." he began, "There've been some pretty good suicide songs before. What've I got to lose?"  
  
---------------  
  
The team re-assembled outside Gennai's house, moving in secret to hide their numbers from Etemon. He may be an ally, but they didn't trust him not to take advantage of the situation. Especially if he knew they were down six members.  
  
"Now what?" he whispered to Joe. The monkey-mon stood at the door the Gennai's house, newly repaired, while the boy crouched behind a low rift in the ground.  
  
"Knock on the door." Joe replied. "Get his attention."  
  
"If you say so." Etemon submitted. "Metal Punch!"  
  
Wood splintered around the fist, and Gennai's House was suddenly minus one door. Etemon glanced back for further instructions, and Joe waved him away, urging non-verbally "Move! Move!"  
  
Etemon retreated, moving to the center of the cracked earth. Heavy as his metal body was, he still maintained the finesse of his previous body. And that would prove useful; God only knew what he'd do if he actually _took_ a hit from Darth Gennai.  
  
"What?" the commanding voice bellowed. "Who dares?"  
  
"I do, you un-Grateful Dead-mon!"  
  
"You attack the lord of all Digimon, and decide to throw _jokes_ at me?"  
  
"You ain't nothin' but a hound dog!" Etemon replied, "I'm the true king of swing!"  
  
"If your attacks are as painful as your sense of humor," Gennai reasoned, stepping towards his opponent, "Perhaps you are someone to be reckoned with."  
  
"Now." Joe whispered, motioning the others onward, "While they're busy talking."  
  
"You'll live to regret that!" Etemon stalled, angered by the slur against his comedic efforts.  
  
"Unfortunately for you, you won't." Gennai replied. "Now, prepare to face the true power of the dark side."  
  
---------------  
  
"No!" Joe protested, "He's gotta be here somewhere!"  
  
"Calm down." Mimi soothed. "There's nothing we can do."  
  
"There has to be!" he panicked. "You don't understand--we NEED him!"  
  
"Joe..." she warned.  
  
"T.K.!" Joe screamed, tearing at everything in sight. "T.K.!"  
  
"He's gone, Joe." Mimi said. "We've got to get Etemon and leave. Somehow, we'll need to manage without him."  
  
"LITTLE BROTHER!!!" Joe screamed, oblivious.  
  
"JOE! Snap Out Of It!" she matched. No effect. "Okay, gang. We're outta here. Palmon, get our 'fearless leader', Agumon, digivolve and help Etemon retreat."  
  
"Yes, WarGreymon! That's it!" Joe babbled, delirious. "Tear this place apart; T.K.'s bound to be around here somewhere!"  
  
The team left under Mimi's direction, as Joe continued his meaningless speech, dragged away in Palmon's vines.  
  
---------------  
  
"What do you mean, you didn't find the crest?" MetalEtemon fumed, enraged.  
  
Hours had passed, and it was almost morning. They'd been running all night, trying to put as much space between them and Darth Gennai as possible.  
  
"It wasn't there." Mimi replied.  
  
"I almost killed myself for nothing?" he returned, "This is unforgivable!"  
  
"Hey, do you think we _tried_ to put ourselves in needless danger?" Salamon retorted.  
  
"And you!" Metal Etemon replied, "You're useless! You can't even digivolve anymore; only God knows why they still keep you around. I oughta kill you right here!"  
  
"Go ahead and try!" she taunted.  
  
"Okay," he agreed, "Banana Slip!"  
  
Salamon's face slid from triumph to shock as she felt her very Data being deleted.  
  
Joe stood rigid, jaw agape, speechless.  
  
Metal Etemon looked him in the face. "That's for dragging me into this. Pray that we don't have any more trouble."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You had to team up with Metal Etemon?" Izzy asked, "What a detestable scenario!"

"Yeah!" V-Mon agreed."What's a 'Metal Etemon'?"

"A chrome-plated, Elvis wanna-be, monkey-man with an attitude." Matt explained."He puts honest, hardworking musicians to shame.Why, if my band were here with us, we'd show him just how good good music can sound!"

"Not to mention if he were here too." Cody observed.

"Uh...right." Matt agreed, embarrassed."I just got all caught up in the story, and...well..."

"We understand." Kari calmed."You want to know about the battle between Etemon and Puppetmon."

"Yeah."

"The actual battle didn't come around for a while." Jyou corrected."Though the events leading to it are mostly trivial.Perhaps I can speed this along a little."

"Whatever you say." Davis shrugged."This is your story.Don't feel too rushed."

"Believe me," Jyou replied."I'd be glad to see it over with as soon as possible."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**"If Only…"**

**PART THREE**

**Release Date: 11.23.00**

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Months passed. The digidestined were stuck in an impossible battle, and losing badly. Tension between their forces and those of Metal Etemon grew rapidly. Not a day went by when Gomamon didn't take a stab at a lowly Pagumon, nor a Gazimon a swipe at "nerd-boy" Izzy.  
  
Despite the conflict, the Digidestined had adapted well to their new roles in the resistance. Izzy spent more and more time at the computer, analyzing data and formulating strategies. Joe headed the medical facilities, aided by the two most beautiful nurses the digiworld had ever seen; a good week meant Palmon and Biyomon only had to repel three Numemon, instead of the many more. Agumon desperately abhorred the infantry training and drills he and Gabumon were forced through, insisting they were even more cruel and unusual than training by Nanimon or Piximon. Gomamon was quickly put to work on reconnaissance; the resistance was scarce on swimming digimon.  
  
Morale was low, lower than rock-bottom. The digidestined had gone from their sixteen against Myotismon to their current nine; almost half of their forces gone. The rebels couldn't remember winning a battle since before the resistance even began, not even the few who tried to pick fights with their digivolving allies. No one was happy, least of all Metal Etemon.  
  
Not one of the digidestined's finest moments.  
  
---------------  
  
"Izzy, get off the computer. That's an order."  
  
"I can't." the red-haired boy protested, "I have to finish this."  
  
"No, you need to sleep." Joe corrected, "I can't have my men caught off guard. We've been lucky none of the patients I've treated had to be one of us."  
  
"But--"  
  
"And I'm not about to let that happen. Besides, Veggiemon's been complaining about you staying up late at his dining area."  
  
"So? I haven't disturbed anything."  
  
"You're invading his personal space." Joe pointed out, "This is his domain, and he doesn't want you taking it over."  
  
"But no one else lets me stay up on the computer." Izzy whined.  
  
"And I'm not going to let you either," Joe added, strictly, "Anywhere."  
  
"You don't understand!"  
  
"Try me."  
  
"I--" Izzy choked, sobbing with his confession, "The computer keeps me busy. It lets me direct my thoughts, gives me focus. It keeps me from thinking about Tentomon. Ever since we lost him, I've missed him. The pain wouldn't go away, it was too much. Working gave me something to do, so I could hopefully forget about the pain."  
  
"You've been like this since Tentomon disappeared?" Joe exclaimed, "No wonder you're a wreck! You haven't had a good night's sleep in well over three months!"  
  
"Three months, two weeks, and four days."  
  
"Enough is enough, Izz'." Joe replied, "For the next forty-eight hours, you are on mandatory sick-leave; I'll sign the doctor's note myself. Sleep, rest, do what you need. Just try to get over Tentomon, and back into some shape we can work with. Beyond that, take as long as you want."  
  
"How can you understand?" Izzy sobbed, "You don't know what it's like to lose someone!"  
  
"I've got you people now." Joe reasoned, "I lost T.K., but I'm not about to lose any more of you."  
  
---------------  
  
"I'm no Gene Simmons fan," Etemon bellowed, weeks later, "But if y'all don't get here on the double, you can Kiss your butts goodbye!"  
  
Joe groaned. When Etemon called everyone together, something was definitely up. The groan was more for the horrible pun.  
  
"Okay, you no-good amateurs!" he greeted, "In a few days, we're going for the big one: we're gonna take on Puppetmon. The Izumi kid has the plans."  
  
Catcalls of "nerd-boy" ensued, but were quickly silenced when one-such offender found himself face to face with a Banana Slip.  
  
"The attack pattern is simple. Puppetmon's forces seem to be comprised mostly of flunkies--Mushroomon, Floramon, Deramon, and the like. Especially Red Veggiemon. You are to mix it up with them for as long as you can, working just as you've been training in the recent weeks. Gomamon, Palmon, Biyomon, Joe, Mimi, Sora, and myself will join you."  
  
The disorganized rabble issued more hoots and whistles at the mention of their two favorite nurses.  
  
"I'm not sure Puppetmon even knows we're on your side; other than Gomamon, none of us have ever ventured into the field, and Gomamon was under heavy cover. We'll be the trump card; no way can Puppetmon stand up to WarGreymon's Terra Force or any of our Ultimate level digimon. He'll have to venture out eventually, and when he does, we'll get him.  
  
"Trouble is brewing in the Digi-world, guys. And today, Puppetmon's going to die."  
  
---------------  
  
Mimi brushed her way past her would-be admirers, and into the officer's area. It was constructed solely for the use of the Digidestined, including a private bath-house, free of interruption by the underlings outside. Much to Mimi's delight.  
  
She stripped and entered the water, feeling its warmth soak her skin and relax her muscles. Izzy had said it was heated but an underground source, or something, but all that mattered to her was that there were hot baths, and she could use them.  
  
She shook her head, flipping her wet hair over one shoulder. It stuck there, leaving her free to bask in the comfort of the water.  
  
The door opened. Oh, were those Numemon going to get it!  
  
"Huh?" she asked, "Joe!"  
  
"Mimi?" he asked, stunned. He tried to cover his eyes, sparing her some dignity, panicking, "I'm-so-sorry, I-didn't-think-you'd-be-here!"  
  
"Joe!" she repeated, equally shocked, "I thought you'd still be in the Sick Bay."  
  
"I am. Was." he stumbled, "I was tired, and Sora offered to close up if I wanted to turn in early, and..."  
  
"...and you came here for a good soak before nodding off." she concluded.  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Well, as long as you're here, you might as well go ahead."  
  
"But--"  
  
"We can't have our fearless leader not get the sleep he needs, can we?"  
  
"Don't call me that." he replied, in all seriousness. "Because of me, we've lost TK, Tentomon, and now Salamon."  
  
"We've been over this." Mimi sighed, "They weren't you're fault. We all got into this knowing we'd do what it took to save the Digi-world, and by God, we're still going to do that."  
  
"But what next?" he argued, "How do we know Metal Etemon will hold up his end of the deal? What if he decides to side _with_ Darth Gennai rather than fight him?"  
  
"Then we'll have more of an edge than we do now." Mimi replied, "Better the Enemy we know than the one we don't."  
  
"That works both ways, y'know." he frowned. "Besides, what if we lose someone else?"  
  
Mimi rose to her full height, looking Joe in the eye. "Jyou Kido, don't talk like that. No one wants to lose anyone here, but that's just something we'll have to face if and when it happens. You've stepped in as leader for your Responsibility, but there's no way we can Rely on you if you're a nervous wreck."  
  
"Thanks, Mimi." he sighed. "I needed that."  
  
"Anytime. It's great to be able to help the one you love." her hands flew to her mouth the moment the words escaped her lips.  
  
"L-love?" Joe stuttered.  
  
"Yeah." she blushed, "I love you, Joe."  
  
Joe could only _try_ to compose himself. "Are-are you sure?"  
  
"Please, Joe. Sincerity, remember?"  
  
"OhmyGod." he breathed, "Uh...okay, uh...look, uh, There's no time for this now. We've got Gennai and his followers to worry about. Um...maybe, after all that..."  
  
"Maybe then..." she agreed, "Maybe then we can be together..."  
  
"Yeah." Joe sighed, forcing a weak smile.  
  
"Promise me."  
  
"Huh?" he asked.  
  
"Promise me." she repeated, "That once this is all over, we'll still be together."  
  
Joe gulped. This wasn't easy.  
  
iC'mon, "fearless leader!" Are you fearless, or aren't you?/i  
  
"I promise." he slurred, nervously.  
  
"Great." she smiled. "Any other problems you need worked out?"  
  
"Actually, uh, yeah." Joe added, wincing at the sudden shift of atmosphere.  
  
"What?" she asked, eager to help.  
  
"Wouldya put some clothes on, please?"  
  
---------------  
  
"Alright, you loser-mons! Today's our last day; we've got a new drill to try. Nerd-boy will explain."  
  
Izzy cringed at Metal Etemon's insult, but didn't dare protest. The other digimon dismissed the "loser" comment, snickering at Izzy's abuse.  
  
"According to my latest intelligence," Izzy began, "Puppetmon controls at least three times as many soldiers as we do, with an unknown quantity in reserve to back them up. We're out-numbered, and we need to accept that, and triumph over that."  
  
Joe added, "Tomorrow, no one stays behind. It's do or die; everyone fights, no one quits. If--"  
  
"If any of y'all try to get off with 'sick leave', I'll put you in the front line!" Etemon cut in, "Maybe you'll infect the enemy before you die."  
  
"In the next drill, you will experiment with fighting three-on-one." Izzy resumed, "We've got our full medical team here, hopefully we won't need them, but more than likely we will. I'll be here to, but to observe, not to interfere. Palmon, Gomamon, and Biyomon, on the other hand, actually _will_ be fighting today.  
  
"Now, for our first match, we've got... Agumon, versus two Gazimon and a Numemon."  
  
---------------  
  
Three hours and thirty bruises later, Agumon sat on the side, rubbing his tail. And his leg. And the other ninety percent of him experiencing the agonizing pain.  
  
Twenty-seven fights in a row. All because he'd won the first twenty-six as the one-man.  
  
He'd've saved himself the trouble and gotten knocked out of the fight, but losing, he decided, hurt more.  
  
After the first five, Etemon had decided to kick it up a notch: battles ranged from five-on-one handicaps, three-way tag teams, and free-for-all elimination style matches. There were five rings, countless casualties (none of which fatal), leaving the medics hard pressed. Too hard pressed to spare an ice pack.  
  
Mick Foley would've been put to shame.  
  
"Alright!" Etemon bellowed again. "On the battlefield, you guys are gonna get to fight Puppetmon; he's a Mega level digimon. You guys are going to need to be able to dish out what he can take, and more."  
  
Joe stepped forward, holding crest and digivice. "Agumon," he said, "Time to digivolve."  
  
Agumon, Warp Digivolve to ... WarGreymon!  
  
"Good job, buddy." Joe praised, patting the warrior on the shoulder, avoiding the spike in the armor. "I'm here for ya."  
  
iThis rules!/i WarGreymon thought. iNow I get to be the big guy, and no way can they hurt me. Five on one battles, bring 'em on!/i  
  
iWhat was that Joe said? I'm here for you?/i  
  
His eyes went wide, but it was too late to back out now.  
  
Joe was the medic.  
  
---------------  
  
iStupid Agumon!/i Gabumon grumbled silently. iIf only TK were here; then we'd see who the strongest Mega Digimon was./i  
  
No contest. Darth Gennai.  
  
iHe doesn't count! Besides, is he even Mega, or something even above that?/i  
  
What's it matter? It still won't bring back Matt.  
  
That hurt. Struck home, no mercy.  
  
iYeah, but I can carry on just like he was here./i  
  
You tried that. When you tried to protect TK.  
  
iHmph! I can find other ways to live up to his memory./i  
  
Prove it.  
  
iI could if TK were here./i  
  
Ah, yes. TK. And what happened to him?  
  
iShut up./i  
  
He's dead, Gabumon. Because you couldn't protect him.  
  
iShut up!/i  
  
Why? 'Cause you know I'm right?  
  
iTomorrow, Puppetmon's going down. 'Cause I know it's what Matt would've wanted. I'll be the best digimon there is, try my hardest, and just maybe I'll be deserving of him./i  
  
The best? Better than WarGreymon?  
  
iWe'll just have to see about that./i  
  
"Okay, loser-mons!" Etemon bellowed, repeating the collective nickname, "Go for it!"  
  
---------------  
  
Agumon lay strapped to a stretcher, arms pinned to his sides. He was completely restrained, to prevent any movement.  
  
"Jeez," he wheezed, "I feel like I've been hit by a digi-bus!"  
  
"You took a few big hits." Joe agreed, examining his patient. "But you'll be in passable shape to fight tomorrow."  
  
"I still have to fight?" Agumon whined.  
  
"No sick leaves, remember?"  
  
Agumon face-faulted.  
  
"Don't worry about it." Joe dismissed. "After a hearty meal and a good rest, a digivolve'll solve all your problems."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"No," he admitted, "But what other choice do we have? Puppetmon needs to die."  
  
iThis is all Puppetmon's fault. If he wasn't around, they wouldn't have done this to me. He'll pay for this./i  
  
---------------  
  
And thus, the battle commenced. Metal Etemon's forces stormed ahead, not bothering to stay hidden, for there were far too many of them to even try. Mon against mon, the hordes clashed in a ferocious melee. Battle cries of "Puppetmon!" and "Etemon!" struggled for supremacy, both beaten down by the clash of close-range combat. Biyomon broke the pattern, screaming "Spiral Twister!". Mon's who had previously, caught up in the moment, forgotten their attacks now remembered.  
  
It was total chaos.  
  
Then, of course, came the next forgotten item, louder than the whole lot of them:  
  
Biyomon, Digivolve into ... Birdramon!  
Birdramon, Digivolve into ... Garudamon!  
Gomamon, Digivolve into ... Ikkakumon!  
Ikkakumon, Digivolve into ... Zudomon!  
Palmon, Digivolve into ... Togemon!  
Togemon, Digivolve into ... Lillymon!  
Agumon, Warp Digivolve into ... WAR-GREYMON!  
  
And thus, the chaos ensued.  
  
---------------  
  
Puppetmon's forces never stood a chance. Yes, they'd won all their battles before. Yes, they had a merciless master who kept them on their toes. Yes, they had superior numbers. But they lacked the training, determination, and power of Etemon's side.  
  
Not to say the struggle was without it's losses. Still numbering to quite an amount, remaining soldiers were hard pressed to fight, roughly even in number, everyone was tired, and many dead.  
  
"You're finished, Puppetmon!" WarGreymon exclaimed. "No where left t run, no one to hide, and no one to fall back on.  
  
"Aww, but we've just started!" Puppetmon whined. "I'm sure we've got other games we can play. I know! Let's play house!"  
  
"House?" Zudomon asked, skeptical.  
  
"Yeah. House." Puppetmon confirmed. Suddenly, his mansion sprouted arms and legs, and went to work on it's adversaries.  
  
The house may not have been impressive in appearance, but more than made up for it in power. It duked it out with Zudomon, Garudamon, Lillymon, WarGreymon, and Metal Etemon, all at once and showed no sign of tiring.  
  
Puppetmon stood behind it, laughing.  
  
iHere's my chance!/i Gabumon realized, Puppetmon's back exposed to him. He took a running start, an leaped!  
  
He landed right on Puppetmon's back, hanging for dear life. Puppetmon's strings were literally his lifelines.  
  
"Gabumon!" Joe exclaimed, concerned. "No!"  
  
---------------  
  
No one knew how it happened, no one asked why. In the end, it didn't really matter. All they knew was one moment, the wolf-mon was Rookie, the next, he was Mega again. Steel jaws snapped the fragile wooden frame, and Puppetmon was gone.  
  
And with him, the forest. It began to recede, pulling away from it's location on Spiral Mountain. The Digidestined fund themselves unceremoniously dumped out at the bottom.  
  
"This is unforgivable!" Metal Etemon bellowed. "My kingdom--gone!"  
  
"That was intriguing..." Izzy agreed, oblivious to the anger in his ally's gaze.  
  
"Intriguing? Is that what you call this?" Etemon screamed, "You _knew_ about this, didn't you? And you knew that little Gabumon of yours could digivolve too."  
  
"How could I--"  
  
"Well, you're sadly mistaken if you think you'll get away with this. Metal Punch!"  
  
Much like Salamon months before, Gabumon was gone in the blink of an eye.  
  
"You monster!" Joe yelled, face contorted by rage. Another loss, another failure. He'd be damned before things stayed this way. Mind clouded by hate, he raced forward, pounding away at Etemon for all his flesh hands were worth.  
  
"Try all you want!" Metal Etemon laughed, "I'm made of Digi-chromazoid, the strongest metal there is!"  
  
Joe's ears perked, "Digi-chromazoid, eh?"  
  
Zudomon took the hint. He threw his hammer, it's expert course catching its target in the chest, cracking the surface.  
  
"What? How could you?"  
  
"My hammer is also made of Digi-chomazoid metal!" he explained, triumphantly.  
  
WarGreymon leapt forward, enlarging the wound in the metallic monkey's frame. The virus digimon couldn't take the damage, exclaiming in disbelief, "You made me die!"  
  
Joe's knees went weak, as his two slowly de-digivolving partners tried there best to support him. He collapsed to a kneeling position, eyes watering up.  
  
"Joe," Mimi asked in concern, "Are you okay?"  
  
"That's four." he gasped between sobs. "I've lost four, now..."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Four dead?"Tai asked.If he hadn't been listening for himself, he would've doubted.Even now, it was a hard piece of information to swallow.

"Eight, actually." Jyou corrected."But you, Matt, Angemon, and Kari were already dead by the time I'd stepped in."

"How can you stand it?" Matt asked."Losing all your friends, living with their lives on your conscience?"

"I almost couldn't." Jyou admitted."I've always seen myself as responsible for making sure everyone made it out of there okay.With each loss, I grew more and more unstable.Under normal circumstances, there's only so much of that a guy can take."

"Under normal circumstances?" T.K. asked."Meaning there were abnormal ones?"

"Damn straight." Jyou grinned."Wait'll you hear what's next."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**"If Only…"**

**PART FOUR**

**Release Date: 12.15.00**

** **

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tai Kamiya. Dead, a charred corpse. Matt Ishida, likewise. Angemon, a meal for VenomMyotismon; digidust long by now. Kari Kamiya, incinerated, vanished without a trace. Correction: body missing, tag, crest and digivice present. A lifetime ago, none of his business.  
  
T.K. Takaishi. Tentomon. Both missing in action, presumed dead. Gatomon and Gabumon, digidust.  
  
Eight down, only eight left. Himself included.  
  
And it was all his fault. His, Joe Kido. Leader of the digidestined, holder of four crests.  
  
The digidestined would need all of their crests together to win this. The crests were no good without their respective traits. Joe could only pray he could live up to the responsibility.  
  
Courage: Tai's Crest. It'd gotten them all through some tough scrapes. His ability to put aside fear, without completely ignoring it, had made him the obvious leader. He'd lead them through the thickest of it, taking on Shellmon, Etemon, SkullMeramon, and countless others. Joe thought he had courage, at least, enough to scrape by.  
  
Hope: T.K.'s crest. T.K. could be naive at times, but that only enhanced his trait. His blind belief that the Digidestined would succeed had spurred them all along. Whatever hope Joe had was fading by the minute, and unlikely to return any time soon.  
  
Light: Kari. She was new to the group; they'd only had her for a week, if even. Still, her light and goodness had helped Tsunomon and Koromon to digivolve again, at her own expense. Light was about sacrificing for the greater good, and doing whatever it took to see it through.  
  
Reliability. Now _this_ was something Joe was used to. It was why he was here now, leading. Because someone had to, so he'd stepped in. He stared at his crest. His damnation. Ironic, how it resembled a cross, the very symbol of all that was good.  
  
All that was good. All that was the light. It almost made sense, how his Crest and that of Light fit together. It was like the crests all meant part of a greater whole. A whole that as leader, he was responsible for   
maintaining.  
  
Light was about sacrifice, much like his cross. Kari had sacrificed herself, and her gain had gotten them the victory they'd needed. Maybe it was time for him to do the same. Before he ended up with any more corpses on his hands.  
  
Careful not to wake those around him, he carefully made his retreat into the night.  
  
---------------  
  
Sora yawned and stretched. The first morning rays of sunlight kissed her forehead, playing burning images in her eyes at the slightest tilt of her head. Why did she even bother getting up? Dreams felt so much better than reality, anyways.  
  
She supposed she was lucky; she still had Biyomon. Izzy was all alone. Joe, on the other hand...well, Joe had Gomamon and Agumon, and he and Mimi seemed pretty cozy lately.  
  
She supposed she was jealous. A little. But if anyone deserved a break, it was Joe. He'd always been there for them, and no matter how tough times got, he always lived up to his responsibilities.  
  
He'd been in his role longer than anyone else, too. Yeah, Tai had been the leader for months, but most of them he wasn't even there, and they'd passed in mere hours for him. Kari had only been with the team a week, but she sure made the most of it.  
  
Joe, on the other hand, had seen battle. He'd returned to the digiworld, only to see the people he loved taken away from him. Months later, finally destroying Puppetmon, he'd made a few more sacrifices, losing first Gatomon, then Gabumon. Months had passed again, with no more losses. They'd bided their time, waiting for an opportunity.  
  
Puppetmon was a weakling. He got all his power from manipulating others. The other Gennai Knights were stronger, and the Digidestined were slimming in the ranks by comparison.  
  
She stood, realizing she was the only one awake. It was the perfect time for some privacy; if she was careful, MetalSeadramon had a whole kingdom of water perfect for a nice bath--practically right next door. Maybe it wasn't the safest thing in the world, but it'd feel great.  
  
She tiptoed silently out of the cave they'd camped in for the night. It sat in the side of a rocky cliff, conveniently located right by the beach. It almost reminded her of those times as a little girl, when her mom and her would draw pictures in the sand. Grinning, she dropped to one knee, eager to re-experience the juvenile activity.  
  
Then she noticed that someone had already beaten her to it.  
  
iGoing on my own to fight the Gennai Knights. Maybe I can find a way to stop them without getting all of you involved. At least then, I won't have any more blood on my hands.  
--Kido Jyou/i  
  
Sora's face paled. This wasn't the first time he'd done this; there was   
that time back on File Island. He'd tried to climb Infinity Mountain on his own, and almost been slain at the hands of Unimon. But that time, he'd had Gomamon with him; this time, the little aquatic digimon was snoozing away, oblivious to the potential danger his friend could be in.

  
This was serious. Much as she'd otherwise have hated the thought, she just _had_ to wake the others.  
  
---------------  
  
Joe coughed up water. He never was too big on swimming; the whole thing with T.K. in the Harbor had been pretty good, by his standards. But he was determined he'd do this, and he couldn't take on MetalSeadramon if he was afraid of a little water.  
  
His plan seemed simple: since he was the new bearer of the crest of Light, he must be able to use it; he was following it's true intent, and   
sacrificing for the greater good. Once that happened, a miracle would   
occur, and the giant water-snake would die. Wizardmon's sacrifice had   
spawned Angewomon, and Kari's had brought on WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon.  
  
Okay, so technically Wizardmon wasn't the bearer of Light; but he'd had it for a while, and acted in the spirit of it.  
  
With MetalSeadramon gone, the waters would recede, like the forest had. They'd end up at Gennai's house, and flood it, or maybe even carry it off in a typhoon. With Darth Gennai out of the picture, it'd be easy for the others to deal with Piedmon and Machinedramon; they still had Agumon to work with, after all.  
  
His crest shone with white brilliance. He wasn't sure which crest; maybe it was all of them, but it was at least one.  
  
Maybe they were agreeing with his decision to sacrifice himself. Or   
disagreeing, for that matter.  
  
Waita minute--crests couldn't agree or disagree; they were just carvings on little pieces of... whatever. Something was definitely going wrong here.  
  
Before long, the light consumed him. Moments later it was gone. And so was Joe.  
  
---------------  
  
"Guys, look!" Sora called, perched on Birdramon's back. "Down there!"  
  
The others, floating along courtesy of the Marching Fishes, looked ahead to where she pointed. It was Joe, coughing and sputtering along as he paddled.  
  
They tried to get close, but a fierce light stabbed out in a huge burst. No matter what, there was just too much light...  
  
---------------  
  
Joe opened his eyes, and blinked. Wherever he was, it wasn't in MetalSeadramon's domain.  
  
He sat up from his horizontal position, trying for a better glimpse of his surroundings. It revealed nothing. As far as the eye could see, there was only oblivion.  
  
iAm I dead? Did the Crest kill me, to stop me from making a mistake? And if I am dead.../i  
  
iThen where's T.K.?/i  
  
He looked around, hoping to see his "brother". He didn't see anything. ANYTHING. He was floating in an empty void, an endless expanse of   
nothingness.

  
No, not empty. Sora was there. And Izzy, and Mimi, and all the Digimon. The digidestined: Earth's last hope.  
  
But if we are dead...  
  
He didn't want to think about it. He tucked his knees, unmoving, and waited.  
  
For some reason, this all felt very familiar.  
  
---------------  
  
Mimi stirred. She wasn't ready to wake up, but it was cold. She reached to pull the blanket around her more tightly, but couldn't find it. She reached again; nothing. She opened her eyes.  
  
Nothing.  
  
She saw the others lying around, likewise sleeping.  
  
"Hey, guys!" She called, "Wake up!"  
  
Everyone rose, groggily. Well, everyone but Joe. His body lie still,   
unmoving.  
  
Why wasn't he getting up? Of course! Hadn't he gone looking for a miracle?   
Wasn't he planning on sacrificing himself for it? Oh god, let it not be true.Not Joe. Let Joe have failed. If he'd succeeded...  
  
Then the Digidestined were down yet another leader.  
  
She heard someone, Sora, speak, "Where are we?"  
  
"It's the Spirit World, again!" Izzy declared, standing. "She must've   
brought us back, somehow."  
  
"You are correct." an ominous voice announced. It echoed off...something...almost masking the weakened edge in itself.  
  
Almost.  
  
"You're hurt!" Mimi declared, running to help, but having no where to run to. "Can we help you?"  
  
"I'll be all right." the spirit replied, "I'm just a little weak. It took a lot of my strength to bring you here; I don't think I could ever manage to   
another time."  
  
"Then we'll make the most of this one chance we have." Joe declared, rising and joining the group. His sudden reappearance prompted a gasp from the collective, and a hug from Mimi.  
  
"I'm sorry, spirit." Izzy politely asked, once the rejoicing had calmed, "But last time we were here you took the form of Kari. It's a little   
unsettling not having some focus to talk to."  
  
Misty tendrils extended from the light, spiraling and condensing as they took form. When they finished, a young girl appeared, though not Kari. She must've been about 12 in appearance, with scarlet eyes glowing in intensity. Her black hair flowed back from her scalp, ending just below her shoulders. Joe was at a loss--until Mimi poked him in the ribs.  
  
"Is this better?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah." Izzy choked. "Much better."  
  
"Good." the spirit agreed, in a no-nonsense tone. "I'm sure you all want to know what's been happening, so I won't bother asking. Our time is short. As you know, I am one of a group of spiritual beings who control the balance of darkness and light in the digital world. Gennai used to be one of us, but he was corrupted. My only way of repairing the imbalance was to ally myself with you, much to his displeasure. I've been safe so far; his recent digivolution prevents him from accessing my world, so he taunts me from behind the sidelines by making the Digiworld dark and morbid. It's working; the light is suffering badly.

  
"We do not know what brought about Gennai's conversion, but we have our theories. Predominant among them, takes us back to Piedmon's unexpected intrusion into our physical lab, where we raised the digi eggs."  
  
She gestured, and the attack replayed itself before their eyes. Mecha's attacked Ancients, and Piedmon shattered the glass casing for the digieggs. A young Gennai leaped into action, reclaiming the eggs to take to safety. The image froze.  
  
"Here, is what we believe may have brought about the change." the spirit explained, "When Gennai saved the digi eggs, Piedmon inserted a device into Gennai. We thought nothing of it at the time, since it revealed no purpose. We believe the device may have been a tool of Piedmon's, with which he hoped to tap Gennai's spirit energy for his own purposes.  
  
"Gennai aged. We spirits cannot age, be he did. His power was being drawn away, taken by Piedmon. Piedmon stored up his powerhouse, until he finally had enough to construct Spiral Mountain. At it's foot, Gennai provided all the energy the Dark Masters could ever need. They conquered, and they prevailed.  
  
"In other universes, Gennai met with you, and was reinforced by it. But given the incidents in this one, his excommunication from you prevented that from happening any more. Between that and the increased time difference, he began to warp, until he began to take on characteristics of the very digital world he was powering. He was dying, and taking on a mortal form to do so.

  
"Then, he made one last desperate grab for life. Taking advantage of his newfound body, he tapped the digivolution energy, hoping to replenish the natural energies within himself. He failed, and the results are as you have seen."  
  
"How can we defeat him?" Joe asked, grimly looking for a solution.  
  
"The answers are unknown." the spirit replied. "In any number of worlds, this never happened. This is the only one where it did. I have no knowledge of his defeat to tap; only the knowledge of myself."  
  
"Surely, you must have some ideas." Izzy prompted. "Anything would be a start."  
  
"I have none." she conceded, "And if I get any later, I have no way of   
getting you back here to hear them."  
  
"Then come with us." Mimi blurted. "You'd be more than welcome."  
  
"Unfortunately, we spirits cannot take sides in this war."  
  
"Darth Gennai did." Sora reasoned. "And if you're supposed to maintain a balance, shouldn't someone commit themself to balancing the instability?"  
  
The spirit mulled that one over. Break the time-honored codes of the spirits to help out a mortal? It was practically unheard of; hell, it _was_ unheard of. But corrupted digivolutions of spirits were heard of even less, and it'd happened. Something _did_ have to be done.  
  
"Alright." she agreed. "I'll do it."  
  
Everyone gave a loud cheer of joy. "Look out Gennai!" Gomamon declared, "'Cause here we come!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"The spirit taking a mortal form?" Izzy asked, intrigued."I must honestly admit, the very idea of such occurrences hadn't crossed my mind."

"You talk too much, Izzy." Davis intruded."What I wanna know is, how's this gonna affect the Digidestined as a whole?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Jyou asked."The girl you see traveling with me is the result of such a transformation.She is the IKami/I, the spirit."

"And we're all thrilled to hear it." Digmon added, ear to the ground."But the cave-ins would hold of the Emperor forever; he's already set a tunneling team to work trying to find us.I don't know how long I can keep them guessing."

"Then I'll make haste." Jyou agreed."After all, we can't have him dropping in and getting in our way, can we?"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**"If Only…"**

**PART FIVE**

**Release Date: 12.24.00**

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Any last questions?" the spirit asked. "Once I leave the spirit world, I   
won't be coming back. I'll be exiled in your world, stuck in mortal form.   
Much like Gennai."  
  
"If that's the case," Izzy noted, "It would be to our advantage to   
assimilate as much information as we can before we depart."  
  
"Not too much." Joe cautioned, "The more time we spend in here, the less   
time we spend out there, doing what we need to."  
  
"Is that true?" Sora asked. The spirit nodded.  
  
"But you can control the flow of time!" Mimi protested, "You brought us here   
out of no where! Don't those kind of powers amount to anything?"  
  
"I have the capabilities you've just mentioned, yes." the spirit agreed,   
"But they require an enormous amount of strength. Were there any more of   
you in your group, I would not have been able to bring you here this time.   
I mourn your losses, but it would seem that fate is not without a sense of   
irony."  
  
There was a brief pause, where no one dared speak. They all had loved ones   
they missed, but it'd never occurred to any of them that anything good could   
be salvaged from those deaths. Even such a minor victory was perplexing.  
  
"So, ask me anything of which you desire." the spirit prompted, "Once we're   
gone, I will have only my own memories with which to inform us."  
  
"How do we beat the remaining Gennai Knights?" Joe asked, straightforwardly.  
  
"In other worlds," the spirit confessed, "Metal Seadramon and Machinedramon   
were both slain by WarGreymon. His arsenal are classified as 'Dra-mon   
Destroyers,' and can tear through either of them like a hot knife through   
butter. Puppetmon, whom you've already defeated, died at the hands of   
MetalGarurumon. Piedmon, on the other hand, was destroyed by one of the   
resources you no longer possess."  
  
"That brings up another question." Izzy realized, "How did Gabumon   
digivolve? We didn't have a child or a crest that he'd been linked to."  
  
"Joe's light fueled the transformation, much as it helped in my bringing you   
here." the spirit revealed. "When he felt concern over Gabumon's   
well-being, his light shone so brilliantly that it manifested itself in   
digivolving energy."  
  
"What're we missing that we'd need against Piedmon? Is there anyone we   
could substitute out instead?" Joe asked.  
  
"Angemon is long gone, and even a Mega Digimon is nothing when compared to   
his Ultimate form. It was Magna Angemon that vanquished Piedmon, and none   
of the other digimon in your possession would be able to accomplish that."  
  
"So, what you're saying is," Sora confirmed, "there's no way we can win?"  
  
"No." the spirit amended. "What I'm saying is, despite the extreme   
resources at my disposal, I can't figure out _how_ you could win."  
  
---------------  
  
"Have you Do you have a name?" Joe asked, unexpectedly. They were back in the   
Digi-world again, walking along a beach in MetalSeadramon's territory.   
Gomamon splashed in the water, causing mischief for those he knew would   
never follow him less they themselves be soaked. Joe had hung behind,   
making sure he could keep an eye on his myriad charges. He'd been so   
attentive, the question caught the one-time spirit off guard.  
  
"Pardon?" she asked. Brushing a strand of stray hair from her eyes.  
  
"Do you have a name?" Joe repeated. "I mean, it seems kinda silly to keep   
calling you 'spirit,' seeing as you're a human now."  
  
"I am _not_ a human." she protested, her eyes flickering from red to a glowing-red,  
as if to emphasize her point. The resulting glow reflected off her porcelain cheeks,  
spreading the flow of agitation. Even her long black hair seemed a little on the  
crimson side.  
  
"Really?" Joe pondered, "Then what are you?"  
  
She paused. What indeed? She wasn't a spirit; she had a few minor powers   
left, but she was bound to this mortal body. She could never rejoin her   
people; she'd be exiled for all eternity for her sacrifice.  
  
"I'm not sure, exactly." she admitted, "And no, I don't have a name."  
  
"Then what should we call you?" Joe pressed.  
  
"I don't know." she declared, "Why don't you tell me?"  
  
"Let me think for a moment." Joe replied. After a brief pause, he had his   
answer: "Kami Kamiya. Kami for spirit, because that's really what you are.   
Kamiya in honor of the leaders that've passed before me, Kari and Tai."  
  
Kami smiled. "I like it."  
  
"I thought you might." Joe agreed.  
  
"Uh, guys?" Gomamon asked. "I hate to cut in like this, but we've got   
company."  
  
---------------  
  
Side by side, five human and four digimon shapes stood defiantly by the   
crashing waves. Metal Seadramon surged towards them, his wake increasing   
the movements of the tide. When he was close enough, Joe gave the order.  
  
"Agumon, Gomamon. Digivolve."  
  
The two followed the command wordlessly, save for the obligatory annunciation  
of names. In almost no time at all, their forms were replaced by Zudomon   
and WarGreymon.  
  
"Now, Zudomon, attack, and keep Metal Seadramon busy. That armor's Chrome   
digizoid, but Metal Etemon showed us that's no match for your hammer.   
WarGreymon, get ready for an attack on your own, but don't move unless you   
know you can do some damage."  
  
"Some damage?" WarGreymon laughed. "With these Dra-mon Destroyers, he'll be   
lucky to get away with only _some_ damage."  
  
"Let's hope so. But don't get cocky."  
  
"You pitiful digidestined think you can defeat me?" Metal Seadramon taunted.  
"I'll save you the humiliation and kill you all now--a very merciful  
decision after your insult against me and my Master."  
  
"Go ahead and try, Tin-Worm." Zudomon jeered. "But first, you'll have to   
get through me."  
  
"Gladly." 'Tin-Worm' obliged. "River of Power!"  
  
A Mega Digimon versus an Ultimate Digimon. Metal Seadramon had the power to   
rip nearly any opponent apart, and Zudomon was no exception. Should the   
blast have hit the War Turtle head-on, he'd not be standing there anymore;   
at least not in the same form. Zudomon never had a chance.  
  
Which is why, perhaps, he dodged.  
  
The blast seared by harmlessly, impacting on the coastline. Sprays of sand   
and gravel flew everywhere, hammering the beach-side occupants.  
  
Joe coughed, "Everyone okay?"  
  
"No!" Biyomon exclaimed. "Sora!"  
  
Joe followed the gesturing wings, and saw that the helmet-headed girl had   
been dragged into the water, and forced along by the current. Biyomon   
followed for all she was worth, but could not find it within herself to   
digivolve.  
  
"Palmon," Joe ordered, "Digivolve and help Biyomon."  
  
"No," Kami overrode countermanded. "Everyone must focus on the battle. Let  
Biyomon help her friend, but should all of our reserves leave, we may find   
ourselves powerless against our foe."  
  
"But Sora--"  
  
"Sacrifices must be made," Kami declared. "In everything you've done, it's   
not been without price. This is no different. Biyomon must follow the   
child because she is useless without her. Palmon must stay because she is   
of help."  
  
"How can you say that?" Mimi argued. "Sora would've risked her life for any   
of us."  
  
"Yes, and you'd all mourn her loss," Kami replied. "But the fact of the   
matter is, Palmon is needed here, and without Sora present, Biyomon isn't."  
  
"Then let me go." Izzy said, squinting to still see the girl rapidly retreating  
from visible range. "I might be able to help."  
  
"Do, and you'll just be throwing your own life away."  
  
"Joe," Mimi asked, "you're not just going to let her break us apart, are   
you?"  
  
Joe sighed. What could he do? He hated losing his people; it'd been all   
that haunted him since that first night when he'd lost T.K. But the thought   
of leaving the evil that was responsible for the disappearances was   
unthinkable.  
  
And what of the retreat? They were sure to lose someone there. Didn't   
Angemon and Salamon both die because of retreats? Weren't T.K. and   
Tentomon missing after another such encounter? No, Metal Seadramon wouldn't   
back off, and either way there'd be casualties.  
  
If only he could live with his decision.  
  
"We stay." he forced out, much to the others' discomfort. "Metal Seadramon   
_has_ to go. Kami's right; we have our path, and they have theirs. God   
help us all if they're the wrong ones."  
  
---------------  
  
Night, Palmon decided, was the worst time of all.  
  
They'd all grudgingly followed Kami's plan, and it was now hours later.   
Metal Seadramon took a few too many hits from a hammer, and WarGreymon found   
the opening he needed to blast the worm into Digi-dust. It was now later,   
in Full Metal City, that they'd all taken the time to rest.  
  
They'd searched for hours. Everyone had hoped to find Sora, but none did.   
Had the waters remained, they'd at least have had some idea, but with the   
reconfigurations of Spiral Mountain, Sora was lost, without a trace. And   
Biyomon with her.  
  
And she hadn't been able to go; that's what really bugged her. Joe had kept  
her on hand as a back-up, but she'd never been put to use. All that time she'd  
wasted at the sidelines, she could've spent saving Sora's life. Instead, Sora  
was gone forever.  
  
They'd been sitting in the dark, in an empty garage, ever since their   
haphazard discovery of it. Slinking around the alleys of Machinedramon's  
territory for what seemed forever, it'd seemed like the perfect place to stop  
and break camp.  
  
There was no light in the garage. The windows were boarded up, admitting   
nothing light within, but no one dared turn any on, for fear of attracting   
attention. Agumon and Gomamon snoozed exhausted away, Izzy joining them,   
as his computer might've also gotten some unwanted company. Kami stayed   
alone, unsleeping, but unmoving.  
  
Creepy little kid. Did spirit-children even need any sleep at all?  
  
Looking up, Palmon noted the other two members of the party. Joe and Mimi   
stood at odds, locked in debate.  
  
"You had no right to make that decision!" Mimi declared. "Sora is gone,   
thanks to our inactions."  
  
"And who would've gone after her?" Joe snapped back. "We're underhanded as   
it is, and what personnel we _did_ have were needed. Kami was right, and you   
just won't admit it."  
  
"No, Joe," Mimi disagreed. "What I refuse to admit, is complete loyalty to   
a ruthless commander. Whatever happened to the boy who cried after he   
watched the boy he called 'brother' be taken from him?"  
  
"I'm still me." Joe replied. "But this past year has been hectic. We've   
been on the run non-stop, with danger at every turn. Who's to say Metal   
Seadramon wouldn't have gotten the rest of us if we didn't destroy him when   
we had the chance?"  
  
"Who's to say he would?"  
  
"We can't be sure," Joe pointed out. "Which is exactly why someone had to   
make a call. I did, and we've suffered the consequences. I don't like   
Sora's being gone any more than you do, but I like even less the idea of any   
other needless losses."  
  
"Sora's dead, and all because we didn't do anything. You don't call that a   
needless loss?" Mimi exclaimed. "Well, Mr. Kido, I hope you can live with   
yourself for this."  
  
iYes, Mimi./i Joe thought, wordlessly. iI hope I can too. But even   
though I don't like Sora's loss in any way, I'd hate it even more if I had   
to lose you.../i

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Aww, how sweet." Kari sighed, longingly."You mean you really loved her that much?"

"I thought I did." Jyou corrected, rather abruptly."It was obviously just a psychological reaction under extreme circumstances, which lead to--"

"Jyou, you're rationalizing." Yolei observed."It's okay for you to love someone, even natural."

"Yeah." Kari agreed."Just because you're the leader, doesn't mean you have to cut yourself off from the others."

"Just look at Kari and me!" Davis inserted eagerly, receiving more than a few stares.

"Really?" T.K. chuckled."And who loves who there?Or, for that matter, which one of you is the leader?Last I'd heard, we hadn't decided on one."

"Well, I...er...that is to say..."

"I thought so."

"We're getting off topic." Jyou urged."I'll cut out parts where I can; I'm pretty sure Digmon doesn't want us holed up down here forever."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**"If Only…"**

**PART SIX**

**Release Date: 1.03.01**

** **

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two years. It's been two years, and we're just as close to beating Darth Gennai   
as we ever were.  
  
No, not just as close. After the first four months, we managed to destroy   
Puppetmon, and after the first year, Metal Seadramon. But it's been another   
year, and we're no closer to a solution.  
  
I don't cry over T.K. much anymore, although it still comes back to haunt me now   
and again. Agumon doesn't much like losing Tai, but he's been with me much   
longer than he'd been with his long-haired counterpart. I think Sora's   
disappearance cut him deeper; she'd been there for him when Tai died, and she   
seemed to be a major part of his stability. Izzy's actually pretty calm about   
Tentomon, but it's gotta be hard on him to be the only human here without a   
Digimon of his own.  
  
Kami's a puzzle though, that's for sure. She's cold, indifferent, and ruthless,   
yet she claims to be on our side. She's told me the whole story, back to Tai's   
death, and let me see a few more perspectives. I'm glad for the extra help,   
even if the source seems a little out of it. Together, she and Izzy helped us   
put our finger down on a few theories.  
  
Darth Gennai's Digi-world is divided into the sectors of Spiral Mountain. We've   
already defeated Puppetmon, whose forest symbolized Gennai's dominance over   
life, and Metal Seadramon, whose oceans symbolize isolation and control.   
Piedmon governs a barren plain, representing darkness, and the source of   
Gennai's power. Right now, we were in Machinedramon's cities, representing   
technology and progress--towards Gennai's iron fist, no less.  
  
Izzy decided, correctly as it turned out, that we couldn't be the only ones left   
fighting. There had to be someone else out there, whether they were actively   
rebelling or just lying in wait. Metal Etemon's insurrectionists were proof   
enough of that. Kami searched her internal database of other worlds, and   
revealed to us the potential for a few allies in this realm. Andromon turned   
out to be a dead end; he'd been caught, tortured, and disassembled while we were   
still in Etemon's boot camp.  
  
The other lead turned out more fruitful. We took to the sewers, and managed to   
find a little cavern ruled by the late Warumonzaemon. Metal Greymon dispatched   
him, and we eagerly accepted the pledges of loyalty from the now-freed Numemon.  
  
It was almost Etemon's camp all over again, except this time we were in charge,   
we made the decisions, and our personnel were eager, as opposed to the lazy   
rookies who'd found disappointment in the way Puppetmon had bossed them around.  
Before long, we'd gone back into organized duty rosters. Except Machinedramon   
didn't use as many flunkies, so fight training became null and void. Mostly.  
  
Of course, with Mimi around, the Numemon fought over her a lot anyways. Some   
things never change.  
  
We didn't really need the Numemon to fight our battles. Thanks to Kami, we knew   
WarGreymon was enough to take on Machinedramon. Of course, thanks to her,   
Gennai knew we knew.  
  
He'd've had to realize it at some point. He controlled, blocked, or had   
eliminated all portals to this world. Therefore, the only way anyone could get   
in was the same way he'd gotten in. And Kami's mysterious appearance must've   
qualified in that category; after all, he was right.  
  
Machinedramon was in danger, but Piedmon was not. As long as the latter could   
give aid to the former, Gennai didn't need to worry about losing either.   
Piedmon was assigned guard detail to Machinedramon; even if we did manage to   
kill one, we'd die at the hands of the other. Preparations were being made to   
merge the two realms, but we'd been working our hardest to delay them. We were   
fighting a losing battle, but a battle nonetheless.  
  
There are seven of us now. Three humans, three digimon, and one adolescent   
spirit-woman. We've had four confirmed deaths among our ranks, with eight more  
missing in action, and they presumed dead. No way could they have survived, but   
we didn't have the heart to count them out completely until we'd seen their   
remains personally. Since dead digimon do not leave corpses, three of them may   
never be confirmed.  
  
Whatever the number, sixteen or seven, we'll fight on as we always have. We'll   
fight, because we must. And because we can't afford not to.  
  
---------------  
  
With a thunderous crash, Machinedramon broke through the base's perimeter. The   
newly-developed doorway crumbled around him, strewing rubble about. The Numemon   
swarmed him, but were unable to destroy him. They shattered into digidust,   
joining their reformatted brethren from years past.  
  
"Agumon, Digivolve!" Joe ordered. "We've gotta get everyone out of here!"  
  
"No, don't!" Izzy argued. "I'll take care of things here; you guys leave."  
  
"Take care of things?" Joe asked. "I hate to sound rude, but you don't even   
have a digimon anymore. What can you do?"  
  
"Please, Joe, don't insult my intelligence." Izzy replied. "Such an occurrence   
has not gone unanticipated. I've set up a few countermeasures of my own in case   
of emergency, and I'd like to be able to know they worked."  
  
"But--"  
  
"Please, Joe." Izzy begged. "We've been found out, and we'll be on the run from   
now on. This is the only chance I'll ever have to be of use. Don't take that   
away from me."  
  
Joe scratched his chin in thought, making light note of the stubble he was   
beginning to bear. He hated to see a year without losses be interrupted this   
way, but it was either Izzy now, or WarGreymon at the hands of Piedmon; with   
Machinedramon here, the Mega-level clown couldn't be too far off.  
  
He sighed. "Do what you want, Izzy." he surrendered. "It's been great knowing   
you the past few years."  
  
"Thank you." Izzy replied. "The honor was mine, as well."  
  
Joe lead the others in a retreat, keeping an eye on the others, he and Agumon   
guarding the flank. He didn't know what Izzy had prepared back there, but if   
the metal door that fell closed behind them was any indication, he knew that his   
computer-hacking friend had been busy.  
  
He'd sure miss the guy. Things wouldn't be the same without him.  
  
---------------  
  
The digidestined trekked together through the myriad streets of the dark   
city-streets of Gennai's domain. They'd escaped Machinedramon's clutches, but   
lost all their allies in the process. Three kids and three mons, they'd been   
unable to stop the inevitable merge of the two regions, and now found themselves   
in the uncomfortable position of trying to stop an impossible menace.  
  
Just your average day in the life of the digidestined.  
  
It'd been another two months, and no word had been heard of Izzy. They'd all   
hoped he'd managed to escape, but if it'd happened, they hadn't seen any   
evidence of such.  
  
The old Joe would have cried. He'd've collapsed under his own sorrows, and   
become inept. And he'd've remained so, until his undying sense of   
responsibility forced him to retake his role as the leader of the digidestined.  
The old Joe would rather die than forgive the sacrifice of one of his charges.  
But the old Joe no longer remained.  
  
The new Jyou, warped by the extended responsibilities thrust upon him, had   
learned to cope. He found himself ruthless; reducing decisions from   
humanitarian decisions to strategic value. His mission was to save the   
Digi-world, no matter what the cost, and he'd be damned before he let anything   
stand in his way.  
  
And the new Jyou had decided that waiting any longer meant something more in the   
way.  
  
"Guys." he declared, breaking the silence. The old Joe would've paused to note   
that the term wasn't entirely appropriate; there were no other 'guys' in his   
company, only girls and 'mons. "We've got to do something. We've been running   
long enough. Now it's time to take care of Machinedramon, and with any luck,   
Piedmon. Any ideas?"  
  
There were none. Such a decision did not come by much surprise to any of them,   
but the timing did.  
  
Jyou sighed. In absence of their resident genius-and-strategist, he'd forced   
himself into another role by making a few observations. Hopefully one of them   
would prompt some sort of response.  
  
"When we killed Metal Seadramon and Puppetmon, their sectors receded from   
Spiral Mountain, although where to is anyone's best guess. Machinedramon was   
linked to the cities and Piedmon to the wastelands. They've merged now, and who   
knows what might happen when one of them takes the fall."  
  
Nothing.  
  
"We have the means to destroy Machinedramon with us, and we know it'll work,   
courtesy of Kami. Unfortunately, we have no idea how to handle Piedmon. Both   
are still out there, and just maybe killing one of them doesn't mean being   
killed by the other."  
  
Still nothing.  
  
"Maybe we can get Machinedramon yet. If we plan things right, we just might be   
able to hit-and-run, do some carnage, and get out before his clown-buddy decides   
to show up."  
  
If Jyou planned to say more, he wasn't given the opportunity to. A building   
nearby shattered into pieces, sending burning rubble everywhere. Jyou turned   
unwavering, and looked the towering instigator in the eye.  
  
Speak of the devil.  
  
Machinedramon laughed at the utter defiance of the moment. Then, as if   
insisting on tormenting the poor man before him, he began targeting his arsenal   
at the adversary's digimon.  
  
Gomamon gulped nervously, but didn't move. If Jyou could stand tough, he could   
too; he had every faith in his partner's judgment and capabilities.  
  
"Agumon," Jyou announced, repeating the now-ambiguous phrase, "Digivolve."  
  
Machinedramon laughed again, with a sound that made Jyou's blood run cold.  
  
But even colder was Agumon's reply: "I can't, Jyou! Something's stopping me!"  
  
And stone-faced Jyou adopted a look of pure horror as he swiveled his neck to   
warn Gomamon. The seal-like digimon wore an equally shocked expression, even   
after the inevitable words were called from above.  
  
"Giga Cannon!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"He couldn't digivolve?" Cody asked."Does that mean there were Dark Rings and Control Spires in your world too?"

"I'm not sure." Jyou admitted."That was, variably, one of the factors we'd considered in choosing your world to travel to.You'd dealt with similar forces, and might be able to offer advice in similar respects."

"One of the factors?" Izzy asked, raising an eyebrow.If Jyou had meant to keep something, his bluff had been called.

"Well, yeah."Jyou stumbled, blushing."Admittedly, this was also the only world we had any idea's about."

"Going back on track," Cody added, "You're not sure your world had spires and rings?"

"I don't remember anything about rings," Jyou admitted, "Although I've come to understand those spires are a means of powering and supporting the will of the Black Digivice."

Cody nodded.

"Well, we, or at least I, believe," Jyou explained, "That the forces that corrupted Gennai and those that forged the Black Digivice are one and the same.Your Emperor here needed the Control Spires to extend his domain, but Gennai didn't.Instead, he had the immeasurable power that comes from digivolution the equivalent of beyond-Mega."

Everyone gulped that one down, realizing what a severe situation this Jyou was in.Lives were lives, numbers were numbers, and neither would affect them personally.But a being stronger than anything they'd faced before, living in a world from where it'd been proven possible to traverse into others; this was severe indeed.

Game faces on, everyone shut up, no one joked.Izzy, ever the eternal strategist, observed the scenario."You're down to five members, including Kami, and only two of them are digimon.Somehow, you've managed to conjure up this other digimon you've got with you, and somehow, you've left your world to visit ours.How'd all this happen?"

"The story shall unfold as it will." Kami cautioned."It is almost over, and would be to your best advantage to hear it out."

"We're here to ask for your help." Jyou added."True, we've got a few more tricks left to be revealed, but they're not enough.With you by our sides, there would be any more sacrifices.I won't have to worry about losing anyone else, like I've already lost Gomamon..."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**"If Only…"**

**PART SEVEN**

**Release Date: 1.08.01**

** **

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------****

For quite easily the first time in over a year, Jyou Kido let himself cry. He   
didn't care about anything anymore--didn't care about the digiworld, didn't care   
about putting on a brave face for the others, didn't care about being a strong   
leader. He'd made a lot of sacrifices the past two years, and somehow he'd   
gotten over each of them. But dammit, this was _Gomamon_.  
  
Hot, salty tears stung his cheeks, tracing damp trails to his chin. What was   
he? Who had he become? Had he condemned himself, reducing himself to a   
ruthless monster? A betrayer of friends?  
  
He'd lost Sora that way. Her and Biyomon. Izzy too. They'd all been   
sacrificed for the greater good. But who was he to say what the greater good   
was? He'd even gambled with Gomamon's life, planning on WarGreymon to swoop in   
for the rescue.  
  
It was all because of Kami. Who was she to waltz right on in and start warping   
him like this? Claiming to fight for goodness; for light. "The light   
represents the good in the world," she'd said.  
  
Light was about sacrificing for the greater good. If he was really so noble,   
he'd be the one that'd died, not them. It would've been the honorable thing to   
do. But he hadn't, and Gomamon was gone.  
  
He'd lost eight of his men; four since Kami had joined and he'd taken up his new   
philosophy. Four lives needlessly wasted, and only five left to go. Five   
defenders, three human two digimon, against everything Darth Gennai had to throw   
against them.  
  
Jyou never remembered feeling so helpless in his life.  
  
He surveyed the group. Kami, his betrayer, yet in such dire circumstances, a   
vital component towards any possible victory. Agumon, the digimon who'd been   
helplessly thrust into this situation, passed from one master to another, only   
to be used solely as a weapon, and not a living being. Palmon, the little   
leaf-girl who couldn't, forced to stand by uselessly by while the first of the   
sacrifices washed right by.  
  
And Mimi, the girl to which you had confessed, perhaps immaturely, his love.  
  
Even as it was now, nearly two years later, he remembered that one night at   
Etemon's camp. How they'd shared their little heart-to-heart, how she'd blurted  
out her own feelings towards him, and how he'd eagerly accepted them.  
  
He could see things now, looking back, more clearly than they'd ever been. He'd   
matured a lot during his stay here; thankfully, that maturity had finally ceased   
to arrive at the expense of compassion. But he also knew being Reliable meant   
taking responsibility for his thoughts, actions, and emotions. And if that meant   
taking responsibility for a few premature notions between two scared, young   
children trying to hide it all in the grown-up game of love, he'd gladly accept   
the decision, no regrets.  
  
Funny how losing your best friend can change how you look at the world around   
you.  
  
Maybe when this was all over, he'd find it in his heart to admit it to her. He   
couldn't now; couldn't risk half his active forces incapacitated by a broken   
heart.  
  
Not that they weren't incapacitated as it was now. Agumon's inability to   
digivolve was no accident, and he had every intention to find out why.  
  
"Yami," he asked. "Can you think of any reason for Agumon's trouble back there?   
Anything that might've been in the works back when you were still in your   
world?"  
  
"Nothing from back then," the girl admitted, searching memories of a year   
passed. "But I think I know how to find out now. Could you please give me a   
digivice--either yours or Kari's, if it's not trouble."  
  
He handed her the latter, and the spirit-woman smiled at being reunited with the   
Digivice of the girl of Light.  
  
Taking the machine between two fingers, she inspected it briefly. Then, wasting   
no time, she closed her palm. When it re-opened, the digivice was gone.  
  
"Hey!" Mimi protested, but Joe silenced her.  
  
Kami seemed to glow with an energy not native to that of her own. The glow   
spread, filling her with a warmth beyond anything Jyou would ever know. "I'm   
absorbing the digivolving energy from the defunct machinery. Channeled   
correctly, it could give us the intelligence we need." she explained. Jyou   
didn't even pretend to understand.  
  
Yami's eyes closed, and an aura of intense blue brilliance lifted her from the   
ground, crackling with energy as it flowed. When a high enough concentration of   
the stuff had gathered, it transferred itself next to the girl, lowering her   
back to ground level. The energy took form, revealing a display similar to they   
one they'd used to watch Apocalymon's defeat in the other world.  
  
A lifetime ago.  
  
"I've used what I've got of my powers." she revealed. "I needed the energy to   
apply it first. Sadly, as much power as the Digivice holds, I could only put it   
to use on one spell outside my natural world. In this case, we're watching a   
far-seeing spell, looking at that same world you saw when I last used this   
spell."  
  
"Are you going to show us how to beat the dark masters, again?" Palmon asked.  
  
"That'd be pretty pointless, wouldn't it?" Yami chuckled. "No, I'm showing you   
what happened afterwards."  
  
"How will that help us?" Agumon queried. "We're in no position to worry about   
any more worries, considering the worries we still have." he paused, scratching   
his head. "I'm confused!"  
  
"Under all normal conditions, I'd be obliged to agree with you." Yami granted,   
"But as we've witnessed, this world by no means conforms to normal conditions.   
The fact of the matter is, we need information from other worlds, and I've only   
the power to search one. This particular world was chosen because the spell's   
familiarity with it allows for a longer duration of surveillance."  
  
"Huh?" Agumon asked.  
  
"We need to know something, and this way, we get to know the most."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"Anyways, the world we see now, is plagued by a condition similar to that of our   
recent discoveries. The original digidestined have long-since left that world,   
returning instead to their homes in their world. Another child, calling himself   
the Digimon Emperor, has risen to power, crushing all opposition under his iron   
fist. He uses a Black Digivice, in conjunction with Dark Rings and Control   
Spires, to enslave innocent digimon and prevent unauthorized digivolution."  
  
"So you think a similar device is preventing the digivolutions in our world   
too?" Joe queried.  
  
"Exactly." Yami agreed, "The aforementioned devices are pure darkness, much like   
Piedmon's one-time domain and Darth Gennai himself. If they've managed to   
harness their own darknesses, they could easilly duplicate the effect. As is,   
it would appear they have."  
  
"But how can we stand up to this anti-digivolving effect?" Mimi asked. "If   
Gennai wants us to fight with rookies, is there anything we can do to prove him   
wrong?"  
  
"There is indeed. In the other world, three Digi-eggs were just discovered in   
the past couple days. Once picked up by their digidestined owners, they   
revealed three new digimon, each capable of a new form of digivolving known as   
'Armor' Digivolving. These new evolutions circumvent the effects of the Black   
Digivice, bypassing its suppression techniques it brings to bear. I believe   
that, given the proper resources, I could do the same."  
  
"What resources would you need?" Jyou asked. "Ask, and it's yours. We'll get   
you the digimon, the raw materials, whatever."  
  
"Actually, we have the only digimon I can imagine capable right here with us."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Hear me out. In digivolution, there are two styles of transformation. The   
first, an Upgrade, involved removing an entire program to make room for another.   
This is demonstrated in the shift from Palmon to Togemon, Togemon to Lillymon,   
Agumon to Greymon--"  
  
"Greymon to Metal Greymon, Agumon to War Greymon." Joe completed.  
  
"No." Kami replied. "Those transformations are entirely different. They are of   
the second form, an Attribute. Attribute digivolutions involve adding a   
secondary trait to a primary, such as Greymon's transformation to 'Metal' or   
'War.' The block on digivolution blocks Upgrades, but not Attributes. The more   
sophisticated 'Armor' digivolutions use Attribute digivolution as a means of   
bringing about an Upgrade, but those had three years to be perfected. Given the   
time constraints, I believe I could manage a 'Bypass' digivolution, tapping the   
Attributes to bring about a shift in Agumon's rookie form."  
  
"Tell me how." Jyou commanded.  
  
"For that, I will require your crests."  
  
"All of them?" he asked, cautiously.  
  
"All of then." she echoed. "Please, it's the only way."  
  
He grudgingly surrendered the necklace-bound devices, and she accepted them.   
She placed then together in one palm, closed it, and the palm began to glow.  
  
_She's trying to destroy us!_ Jyou realized. _She's draining our power   
to enhance her own. Killing us off wasn't enough for her, and now she wants all   
of our power too._  
  
Before he could voice his fears, she re-opened her hand, and the tags were still   
there. Sort of.  
  
"It's our very own Digi-egg." she explained. "Forged from the four traits of   
leadership you possess, it should be able to bring about a change in Agumon.   
The added strength will allow us to defeat the remaining Knights, but it's still   
not enough against Gennai. I have one last trick left in me though: at the   
expense of another Digivice, I believe I'll be able to take us _to_ that other   
world, from which we can summon help."  
  
"Will it really work?" Jyou asked.  
  
"If it doesn't, we can easily take another Digivice from one of that world's   
Digidestined and repeat the procedure to find another world." she said. She   
looked into Jyou's skeptical eyes, and explained, "We really have no other   
choice."  
  
---------------  
  
We can summon help, she says. We can go to another world, she says. We can   
even continue our way onward if that doesn't work out, she says. All we have to   
do is access the exit point of this world, located at the top of Spiral   
Mountain.  
  
All we have to do.  
  
Machinedramon and Piedmon will no doubt be waiting for us up there, watching   
from their telescope as we make our way upwards. We'll have the combat   
advantage, but no element of surprise.  
  
Which is why we'd better make this count.  
  
They reached the top, and as expected, their foes were waiting. Jyou gripped   
the home-made Digi-egg in one hand, his knuckles white, praying that this work.   
Nervously, he managed to squeak out, "Agumon, Digivolve."  
  
Agumon glowed bright orange, and entered his way into the new Digivolution   
sequence.  
  
  
"Agumon, Bypass-Digivolve to..."  
  
"Light!" Agumon's foot smoothed and unsmoothed, transferring from the stubby   
dinosaur legs to other still-stubby dinosaur legs. The new set sported shin   
guards, strongly reminiscent of those he'd worn as WarGreymon. He realized the   
other leg had reacted similarly.  
  
"Hope!" Agumon's arm disappeared, scattering out into oblivion. He was a little   
concerned, but before he could react, a new one appeared, snapping into place.   
The new one had metallic wrist-bands, shimmering with a polished appearance.   
Gripped in his claws, he held a larger set of claws, but still smaller than   
those of WarGreymon. He smiled; this new form sported Dra-mon destroyers too.  
  
"Courage!" his chest shimmered, and faint outlines of breast-plating armor came   
into view. Outlines gave way to the real thing, and the plates were soon bound   
together by the red cords WarGreymon had had. They weighed down on his   
shoulders, but did not drag him down. What a sight that'd be, defeated by his   
own defenses.  
  
He could sense the transformation was almost complete. Save for his head, he   
was the spitting image of a pint-sizes WarGreymon. And speaking of which...  
  
"Reliability!" he couldn't see what happened. All he knew was that once his   
eyes were there, then they still were. But everything changed; he viewed the   
world through a green tint, tactical data streaming forth in red lettering,   
highlighting everything he saw. Short of an Identify Friend/Foe system, he was   
a one-man army. No wait, there it was...  
  
He struck a dramatic pose, expecting the procedure to be complete. The emblems   
of the traits he'd declared spiraled around him, glowing brilliantly. They   
brightened, and he found himself squinting to stop himself from going blind.   
The emblems seemed to mesh, until the light was so bright he couldn't keep his   
eyes open any longer.  
  
"HONOR!" he declared, though not by conscious thought. It was like everything   
so far was a prelude to this comment. Finally, he opened his eyes, to find the   
metallic gloss of his armor gone. This final phase had served his purpose,   
coloring him to fade into shadows, and provide stealthier design. It has served  
it well.  
  
The process was complete, for real this time. He needed only to declare his new   
name.  
  
"WAR AGUMON!!!"  
  
"WarAgumon!" Joe called, "Are you ready?"  
  
He grinned ear-to-ear. It wasn't easy; his face felt like lead; but then,   
Digi-chomizoid usually did. He replied to his partner and friend.  
  
"Let's do it."  
  
Piedmon snickered at the mini-mecha before him, but Machinedramon eyed those   
claws warily. Greymon or Agumon, Dra-mon Destroyers were still Dra-mon   
Destroyers. After a slow, analytical approach, he deemed it safe and charged.  
  
His loss.  
  
Without warning, WarAgumon raised one claw, pointed it forward, and _fired_.   
The weapon left his arm, blasting forwards with tremendous speed. The metal paw   
pierced Machinedramon's torso, punching entirely through. The mecha was gone in   
an instant.  
  
"Hey, Jyou!" he called, excitedly. "I can use my attacks without saying   
anything!" he realized. His hand returned to his wrist, and Piedmon took a step   
back as WarAgumon raised it again, threateningly.  
  
"Then say something to this!" Piedmon challenged. "Trump Sword!"  
  
The daggers flew forth, maneuvering directly towards WarAgumon. Without so much   
as a flinch, WarAgumon returned fire, a Terra Force-esque burst of blue   
lightning catching the blades mid-air and eradicating them.  
  
"Give it up, Piedmon." he ordered, cocky, "You days of terrorizing the Digiworld   
are over. No way can you defeat me."  
  
"Defeat you?" a familiar, sinister voice asked. "Don't mind if I do."  
  
Darth Gennai; there was no one else it could be. No one else had the power to   
get here so fast, nor the ego to make such a claim in the face of such   
adversity. At least, if there was anyone else, WarAgumon would've hated to meet   
them.  
  
"Jyou!" Mimi yelled. "Take WarAgumon and Yami and get out of here."  
  
"What?" Jyou asked. "Are you crazy?!?"  
  
"The mission!" she insisted. "It's the only way. Please, Jyou. Let me do this."  
  
"No!" he refused. "We're all gonna make it out of this; you were right. I had   
no business giving up on Sora, and I'm not giving up on you."  
  
"Jyou, you baka!" she replied. "You don't even get it. You were right all   
along. Sacrifices had to be made. Everyone knew what they were getting into   
when we first came back to the digiworld. They'd've all told you themselves if   
they could: they all made sacrifices they were willing to make. Maybe they   
weren't the smartest decisions on your part, but they were steps in the right   
direction, and they were steps we were willing to take. They made their   
sacrifices, so please, let me make mine."  
  
"But Mimi--"  
  
"Yami, prep the portal." Mimi interrupted, ignoring him.  
  
"Mimi, just listen!" Jyou replied. "I'm not leaving without you, or anyone.   
Not this time."  
  
"Then no one's leaving, and the mission has already failed." Mimi said.  
  
Jyou opened his mouth in rebuttal, but found the words ripped from his lungs as   
WarAgumon was flung through the air, landing next to him, and de-digivolving   
back to Agumon. A crater remained where the combatant had once stood.  
  
"Agumon!" he cried, concerned.  
  
Piedmon let loose a volley of daggers in response to Gennai's attack, but Palmon   
batted them away with Ivy vines. Barely.  
  
"Go, Jyou!" Mimi ordered to the one-time commander, who lay cradling his   
digimon. He nodded wordlessly, and rose to a crouch.  
  
"The portal is open." Yami added, completing the task. Jyou stood the rest of   
the way, standing next to the spirit-girl. He looked at his friend in his arms,   
who in turn groaned.  
  
"You think you can manage another digivolve, buddy?" he queried. "We've got no   
idea what we'll see on the other side."  
  
"I'll try." he moaned. Without warning, orange faded to black, and he was   
WarAgumon again. He coughed, "I guess I can digivolve without talking too." A  
weak grin.  
  
"Get outta here!" Mimi echoed once more. "Please, whatever you do, make it out   
of here. Come back, and bring help. Save this world."  
  
"I will." Jyou replied, confidently. He stepped into the vortex.  
  
"I love you!" Mimi called, as he left.  
  
_Poor girl._ Jyou thought. _She still doesn't know..._  
  
He had no time to think of anything else. His skin tingled with the flow of   
spirit-energy, as the warp pulled him in.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"...and here I am now." Jyou concluded.

"And not a moment too soon!" Digmon added."Because here Ken is too!"

The cavern ceiling gave way, as the Digimon Emperor made his grand entrance.He himself merely circled the skies overhead, riding his trademarked Airdramon.In the earth, however, a Drimogenmon lead the way, as Dark Tyrannomon lined the crater mouth.It was an impressive display of force, and obviously not all cards had been revealed as of yet.

Perhaps by chance, perhaps by intent, the Drimogenmon made his move.A brief Iron Drill Spin later, and the fury of his attacking might surged forwards.

And perhaps by chance, Jyou took the full force of the blow.

When the dust settled, all that remained was a charred corpse.The late digidestined of another world had lost their leader again.Taichi, Hikari, and now Jyou.

"JYOU!" WarAgumon screamed, all discipline leaving his body.Veins bulged in fury; here was a Bypassed-Mega digimon, and he was pissed.Quite the force to be reckoned with.

"Maybe in this world, Taichi and I were meant to be." he added, "But not in ours.We've been through too much; three long years fighting the worst the digiworld had to offer.We were alive, we survived, and we thrived.But YOU had to end that.YOU had to end THREE YEARS of friendship!

"I did NOT come here to be beaten by some half-hearted, mindless fool who can't even maintain his own freedomfrom a tyrant.And I did NOT come here to watch the best friend I've ever had die."

"Woah there, Agumon." Tai cautioned."Let's not get excited here."

"Oh, this isn't me being excited, Tai." Agumon replied."This is me cutting loose!"

WarAgumon relentlessly hurled his silent attacks, no interest in aim, or preservation of life.He'd lost his friend, his partner, and this was the third time it'd happened.And this time, he was not about to let it slide.

Drimogenmon never knew what hit him.Nor did the Dark Tyrannomon outside the cavern.In fact, it was only their initial deaths that allowed fair warning for Ken to make an escape of his own.

The dark form of WarAgumon de-digivolved back into Koromon.Completely spent, he couldn't remember feeling this small and insecure.It definitely hadn't been very recently.

"Why?" he sobbed, to no one in particular."Why did he have to die?"

"It just sort of...happened." Kami soothed, displaying possibly the most human emotion yet in the whole year she'd been mortal."No one means for these to happen."

"If Only I'd done something sooner!If Only I hadn't left him to die!" Koromon wailed.

"Yes, If Only..." Kami agreed."It would appear Darth Gennai's legacy has been fulfilled.The last of the Digidestined have been defeated.Never again will he face opposition from his world, for none remains.

"Perhaps we could've prevented it, perhaps not.You say "If Only...", but truly the root lies earlier.If Only Gennai had remained good, If Only the Digidestined were able to return to the Digiworld in time to prevent his corruption.If Only they'd not been occupied by Venom Myotismon in the first place.

"If Only..."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To Be Continued…

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Email me at [RyanBerke@hotmail.com][1].  
Questions, comments, and criticism are welcome!  
  
[Click Here][2] to go to my Home Page.

   [1]: mailto:ryanberke@hotmail.com
   [2]: http://ryanberke.cjb.net/



	4. NGO Episode 1: Newfound Allies, Part 1

"New Gennai Order" -- Episode 01: "Newfound Allies"  
(C) May 2001, Ryan Berke  
http://ryanberke.cjb.net/  
  
  
((DEDICATION: This installment is dedicated to FFN's very own shimmercat. Without her support and motivation, it would've taken a lot longer to complete. Anyone interested, feel free to check out her sketch of [WarAgumon][1], her review of [This Series][2], or just plain [her site in general][3]))  
  
((DISCLAIMER: I do not own, nor do I claim to own, any of the Digimon characters (heck, I refuse to claim even the ones I made up! Feel free to steal them!) They are all property of FoxKids, Toei, and Bandai. I haven't received any permission ahead of time, but then this wouldn't be a Fanfic, would it? Likewise, I do not own the song "What If?" by Creed))  
  
((ADDITIONAL DISCLAIMER: This story is not Copywritten, as implied by the heading. (c) stands for "completed," allowing me to know when I wrote it.))  
  
  
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Even TK had to admit, in all his time as a digidestined, he'd seen a lot. He'd lived through battle after battle, faced Devimon, survived Etemon, conquered Myotismon, and fought the Dark Masters. He'd been through Gennai's riddles and Piximon's training, all the while with Patamon to protect him to the Data World and back. But if anyone had told him he'd see WarGreymon, even a smaller version of him, cry, he'd've laughed out loud.  
  
No one was laughing now.  
  
"If Only..." Kami sighed once more. "He was our last hope."  
  
"Last hope?" WarAgumon demanded, blinking back tears, "Last hope? You can't just reduce his life down to nothing! He's not just some figurehead or a statistic--Joe was a person. And people aren't numbers on a page."  
  
"He was the last of our kind." she replied.  
  
"What kind?" he snapped, "A human, a spirit, and a digimon? Three misfits from a world that never should have happened?"  
  
"Three WARRIORS," she corrected, "Defending peace in a world under a tyrant's rule."  
  
"And I suppose that's make his death that of a soldier's on a battlefield," he sneered, applying the metaphor.  
  
"An unfortunate gap in our combat tactics." she agreed, extending it. "His death came too easy. Our carelessness has lost us this war. Without humans, there is no digivolution, and you aren't strong enough to fight on your own."  
  
"But he's not alone." Davis chimed in. "'Cause we're here to help!"  
  
_Idiot._ TK mentally scolded his peer. _You could at least let them grieve..._  
  
"Are you willing to adopt our cause?" Kami turned, facing the goggle-headed boy. "You are aware that once you do, there is no turning back."  
  
"After everything you've told us," Davis replied, "How can't we?"  
  
"Davis!" Cody hissed.  
  
"Don't we get any say in this?" Yolei added.  
  
"But c'mon, guys! This is the chance of a lifetime--and these guys NEED us.""  
  
"People have died over there trying to fight Gennai." Cody returned. "You have to realize just how dangerous it is, and we'll only be putting BOTH worlds in jeopardy if we aren't here anymore to save this one."  
  
"But if we stay here, we'll just be letting the forces of darkness run free." TK argued. "If I've been keeping count right, they've only got four Digivices to work with, and they're down to their last one. If we don't help them, no one will."  
  
"But if there's only one left, aren't we condemning ourselves?" Yolei observed, "I mean, how would we get back when we're done?"  
  
"So you're more worried about your personal well-being than saving the world?" Davis mocked. "Some digidestined you turned out to be."  
  
Yolei fumed, "Just you take that back!"  
  
V-mon decided it was about time a digimon took a stand in this arguement, and if no one else would, he'd be the first to do it. "Yeah? Well what if Davis doesn't want to?"  
  
"Cool down!" Cody yelled. "It's two for, and two against. Let's see what Kari has to say."  
  
"Me?" Kari asked, nervously. They looked to her, expectantly, nodding their heads.  
  
"Uh, do any of you older Digidestined have any comments?" she asked, trying her best not to stall too obviously.  
  
"Well, it wouldn't make sense for any of us to go." Joe commented, "Seeing as none of us would be able to digivolve in their world"  
  
"In which case, we'd be here anyway, and could chip in around here if you left." Izzy noted, finishing the thought.  
  
"Do what you think is right, Kari." Tai urged. "No one would think any less of you if you decided to stay."  
  
She sighed. No one was going to decide this one for her; it was entirely her call. "Well, seeing as light is all about sacrificing for the greater good," she said cautiously, "The what kind of a Child of Light would I be if I didn't help out? I'm in."  
  
Davis and TK brightened noticably, and even Cody seemed to nod appreciatively. Yolei didn't seem any happier, but she wasn't really upset either. Kari probably couldn't've asked for a better result.  
  
Kami took the last Digivice, Joe's Digivice, in her palm. Fingers enclosed it, and her grip tightened. Slowly, a brilliant-blue portal materialized, a near-perfect facsimile of it's predecessor the day before.  
  
"Come on," she invited, "We've only a few minutes before the portal closes."  
  
The newest team of Digidestined looked back on their mentors, wordlessly conveying their farewells. Their sentiments were returned similarly, and they were ready to go. They turned to Kami, who lead them forth, stepping into the light. Flanked by WarAgumon, within moments they were gone.  
  
---------------  
  
"So, this is the other world." Davis commented offhandedly, taking in his surroundings. He looked around, and all he saw was BLACK. The ground, the sky, the baren cliffs, the empty plains--all black. It was all wrong; he could see around perfectly fine, it wasn't like it was dark, just... black. In the distance, an observatory lay parked on a particularly high-rising cliff, pointed downwards at the rest of the word below.  
  
"It's just like the top of Spiral Mountain!" TK noticed.  
  
"THIS is what Spiral Mountain looked like?" Yolei asked, in disbelief. As digidestined, they'd been told the stories, but she'd never imagined this. She looked expectantly for an answer, which Kari satisfied with a solemn nod. Out of respect, she joined in the silence of her more-experienced peers. Cody seemed to have done so too.  
  
Davis didn't, quipping, "Not too shabby, if you ask me."  
  
"Indeed." Kami agreed, ending the shouts of protest Yolei seemed ready to give. "We haven't much time. TK, Piedmon will be here any minute. Have Patamon digivolve to Ultimate, and that'll be one more problem out of our way."  
  
"We sort of...can't." TK replied quietly. "None of our digimon can digivolve to Ultimate without a huge burst of power, like the one Kari had fighting the Scubamons."  
  
"So we don't have MagnaAngemon's Gate of Destiny." Kami replied. Her words were definitely not a question. "Perfect." she spat in sarcastic disgust, "Well, do what you can to get ready for a fight. It promises to be a big one. Let's hope we're big enough for it."  
  
"Alright guys, you know what to do!" Davis commanded, "DigiArmor, Energize!"  
  
V-Mon, Armor Digivolve into... Flamedramon, the Fire of Courage!  
Hawkmon, Armor Digivolve into... Shyurimon, the Samarai of Sincerity!  
Armadillomon, Armor Digivolve into... Digmon, the Drill of Power!  
Gatomon, Armor Digivolve into... Nefertimon, The Angel of Light!  
Patamon, Armor Digivolve into... Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!  
  
"Armor Digimon, eh?" WarAgumon asked. "Impressive."  
  
"It's not as good as it looks." Kami replied cynically, in that all-knowing way of hers. "They're barely any stronger than a Champion digimon; it's not like they stand a chance against a Mega."  
  
"Why not?" he returned. "If what you say is right, they'd have been strong enough if one of them was an Ultimate. Why can't five of them do the same?"  
  
Piedmon's voice cut in, sneering, "Perhaps you'd rather put it to the test." Everyone looked around for the source, and in a puff of smoke, he revealed it to them. He stood alone, facing off against the lot of them, confidence in his stance.  
  
WarAgumon lunged forward, jabbing with his claws. No matter where he punched, it wouldn't connect:  
  
He punched left, Piedmon dodged right.  
He punched right, Piedmon dodged left.  
He jabbed high, Piedmon ducked.  
He uppercut from below, and Piedmon blocked.  
  
"WarAgumon, look out!" a friendly voice warned from above. It was joined by a second, as in unison they cried, "Golden Noose!"  
  
Piedmon looked up at his oncoming foes, giving WarAgumon the time to duck low, and dive between Piedmon's legs and out the other side. He twisted his head to follow the Mini-Mega, only to have his attention drawn again by the call of "Double Stars!"  
  
Piedmon laughed as the stars bounced off harmlessly, as did the Fire Rocket and Gold Rush moments behind. Barely flexing a muscle, he snapped the noose tying his arms down, grabbed either end, and pulled it's masters into range.  
  
"Trump Sword!"  
  
The swords hit their marks dead-on, leaving the Digidestined minus two Armored 'mons, but plus a Rookie and a Champion.  
  
Davis gulped, "Watch out, Flamedramon! Don't let him do the same to you?"  
  
"You mean like this?" Piedmon announced, grabbing Flamedramon by the throat. Holding him in mid-air, Piedmon reached behind his back, unsheathing another blade. He moved to stab forward, but dropped the knife as his arm was rammed by Digmon's hard head. Flamedramon took advantage of the situation, raised his feet, and kicked the clown full in the chest.  
  
"Do you realize I could kill you all, right where you stand?" Piedmon demanded. "Why bother with these pitiful games? I'm sure Master Gennai would have spared your lives had you chosen to swear your allegiance to him."  
  
"You just don't understand us, Piedmon!" Cody yelled. "We won't back down for anybody; we're here to save the world, and it's what we're going to do."  
  
"Nah. I just think he doesn't understand. Anything." joked WarAgumon, coming up behind Piedmon, knocking him over with a flying kick.  
  
"Enough of this!" Piedmon yelled, notably angered. He rose to his feet, fingering all four sabers from his back. Then he crossed his arms over his chest, two swords in each hand. He drew back, and unleashed. "TRUMP SWORD!!!"  
  
The first two hit Flamedramon and Digmon each almost immediately, sending them into smalled forms, and total exhaustion. Shyurimon fared somewhat better, deflecting one blow before taking another as the fourth assault veered.  
  
"Just you and me, WarAgumon, one on one." Piedmon challenged. "Darth Gennai knew you'd be foolish enough to come back; who'd've known he'd be right?"  
  
"I guess I'm just a sucker like that." WarAgumon agreed, accepting the challenge in a fighting stance.  
  
Wordlessly, the two paused a moment, digging deep within themselves for all the power they had left. Then, in unison, both charged forward, caught up in the individual melee. The digidestined watched in horror; TK covered Cody's eyes, unable to look away himself. Unconscious, their Digimon needed no such protection.  
  
The two surged forwards, faster and faster, streaking towards the inevitable dead of one of them, though more likely both. Closer and closer they became, entil they were within full reach of each other...  
  
And bounced off harmlessly.  
  
"Huh?" Davis wondered aloud, scratching his head in confusion. "How'd that happen?"  
  
"It's like some barrier came between them and stopped the fight." Kari observed.  
  
"Not just any barrier." a familiar voice offered. The group turned to face it, finding he'd been standing among their ranks for a while now.  
  
"Izzy?" Kami asked, honestly as surprised as the rest of them, "You're alive?"  
  
"Though a little worse for wear." he confirmed.  
  
They looked him over; it was an understatement at best. He looked to be in his later teens, which for Izzy could mean as high as twenty. Like Jyou before him, his face had collected quite a growth of hair; he had a full beard, red-brown to match his hair. Though even more than the beard, they saw his left leg. Things really HAD changed in this other world.  
  
"Oh, this old thing?" he asked, prompted by their stares. "It was crippled in the escape from Machinedramon; I had to build myself a new one from scratch. I never could resist a challenge; and had my work cut out on this one. But come, you must have questions of your own to ask; you've missed a lot in the past five years."  
  
"Five?" Kami asked. "We just saw you a little over one, at best."  
  
"Like I said, you've missed a lot." he replied, grinning somewhat. "You coming, or not?"  
  
They fell into step behind him. He called a similar invitation to WarAgumon, who grudgingly obliged. All the while, Piedmon made his venomous cat-calls from behind.  
  
"Come back here you cowards! One day, you'll die for this insult!"  
  
---------------  
  
"It all started just after you left." he explained, leading his newfound companions into a nearby safehouse, just below surface level. He paused briefly as the last of them stepped through the camouflaged door, pressing a button to seal it behind them. It hissed into place, followed by an ominous clash of metal-on-metal as a lock slid into place. The floor shifted slightly, as it began it's descent.  
  
"With three of his four Knights out of commission, Darth Gennai decided he needed some backup, and quick. Although the only forces available to you were Jyou and yourselves," he paused briefly, nodding to Kami and WarAgumon, "He was sure you'd return, as you now have proven." He stopped and laughed nervously, but composed himself, "You'll have to excuse me; this is everything we've been hoping for."  
  
"We?" Kari asked. Somehow, 'we' didn't quite fit the story they'd been given before they'd agreed to this. But then, niether had Izzy's life.  
  
"The Resistance." he replied, "The one you all abandoned. Through me it is now reborn, both those who fought alongside against Puppetmon and Machinedramon, and a few more."  
  
"Piedmon still lives." Kami noted coldly. "If you haven't been beating back Gennai's forces, what have you been doing?"  
  
"Slow down, I'm getting to that!" Izzy insisted. He may have looked older, but some things never changed, among them his desire to explain things fully and logically. "So, anyways, Gennai wanted more backup, but had no reserves to draw from. He quickly reinitiated the time differential between our world and those not aligned to it, which explains part of why I appear as I do now.  
  
"With his warp in place, he began seeking out new candidates that he'd one day forge into his ultimate servants of evil: the Gennai knights. Given a strict training protocol, numerous rookies were chosen for upbringing into such a position. Not all survived, but we're unsure of the numbers that did or didn't. We're not even sure how many hace completed training, and how many are still undergoing it. What we do know, is the first member of this new breed: Lord Dramon.  
  
"Back then, the restistance had yet to form. My leg was crippled and beyond repair. I was left with little choice but to limp around, using whatever I could for support. Finally, I met an underground clan of Gazimon, hiding from the aftermath of the village he'd razed. Together, we built and designed me a replacement to my damaged limb, and aided by a Wizardmon, installed it.  
  
"By then two years had passed; Lord Dramon had risen to power quickly, and I've no idea how long his own evolution took place. He was Mega, so he must've been nearly Champion when he began training, if our analysts' theories are correct."  
  
He stopped, as if concentrating. The floor ceased it's movement, and the open shaft above stretched into visual infinity. He tapped a few buttons on a keypad, and a door in front opened.  
  
"Hurry," he warned, "The lift is precisely timed; after twenty seconds it'll close, and the arsenal we've packed into the above shaft will detonate. The explosion could break the shell of a Digitamamon, if need be; hope you never have to imagine what it'd do to you."  
  
"Why install a lift if you're only going to use it once?" Cody speculated. "Wouldn't it be more efficient to reuse it?"  
  
Izzy herded them into a solid steel chamber barely any larger than the lift itself. "It would be," he agreed, "But that shaft leads straight back to us. We used to use it for intelligence purposes all the time, but now that the top door has been opened, we're not about to take any chances."  
  
Cody seemed to meditate on that, staring at his reflection on the near-spotless floor beneath him. TK seemed about to add some thoughts of his own, but any words were drowned out by a deafening explosion from behind. The unmistakeable sound of falling rubble accompanies the noise within seconds, and the burnt odor of explosive remnants leaked through the door. The apparently sourceless lighting dimmed, but then returned to normal status.  
  
"We're cleared." Izzy declared, opening a new keypad and typing into it.  
  
"How do you--" Kari was inable to complete the query, as the next and final set of doors opened, leaving her in awe. Before them lay an immense cavern, spreading vertically as much as three floors, and horizontally twice that. A Meramon stirred a cauldron carefully, as a Gotsumon and a Numemon poured an identical one into molds. Searing hot metal steamed out of the pot, settling into it's newfound purpose, only to be carted aside by a Frigimon to let cool. In another area, Gazimon techs moved focussedly, coordinating intelligence reports between border reconnaissance and the center of their data, Izzy's Pineapple Laptop. Still someplace else, Pixiemon was drilling assorted Rookies in the arts of war, while Andromon trained others for Flight Combat. There was still more to see: other doors beyond the chamber lead to quarters, restrooms, infirmaries, recruiting, supplies--and that was only floor one.  
  
The visitors couldn't help but stand there daftly, in utter silence for fear of breaking the overall essense of hard work and determination all others present seemed to radiate.  
  
"Welcome," Izzy invited, feeling proud of himself, "To 'Ground Zero'."  
  
---------------  
  
If there was any one nerve-center to the Resistance, Ground Zero was it. From here all orders were sent, all troops quartered, and all supplies requisitioned. Due to the nature of the Resistance, it doubled more as a refugee camp than an actual military installation; it's forces to date were purely defensive, only straying as far as counter-attacks (which technically met the same needs). Everyone lived in borderline luxury; the residents were all hard-working victims of a tyrant's rule, living together in a community where they could carry out their lives uninterfered by the iron fist of evil.  
  
Not that the cavern was a good representation of that. While true, no actual offenses were launched from there, it easilly could be used for such within a short period of time. Between Piximon and Andromon's trainings, the Gazimons' intel, and the manufacturing area, it wouldn't take much, given the manpower to carry it out.  
  
"You see," Izzy began again, adding to his previously shortened explanation, "After the realms meshed together between Piedmon's and Machinedramon's domains, neither one could recede as Puppetmon's and MetalSeadramon's had. Naturally, with Machinedramon gone, his robot army switched ofline. Then-useless, they were discarded and abandoned, which is how they became under our employ.  
  
"While all we ever saw around the cities in our original exploits seemed to be all fighting mecha, there was an entire working class we were completely unaware of. With access to those, we were able to carve out our vast network of tunnels--including that elevator shaft we entered from. We've got lookout points all over the digital world, though none as conveinient as we'd prefer. But then, such sacrifices must be made for the sake of secrecy.  
  
"And speaking of sacrifices," Izzy digressed, "Whatever happened to Joe? Fell prey to his own designs?"  
  
"Joe was a hero." WarAgumon grumbled. "He's lead us through more battles than any of us can count, and gave his life to bring reinforcements when all that wasn't working out."  
  
"Maybe to you." Izzy snapped, "But you never had to worry about being left behind, did you? Wherever Joe went, he always had his Agumon with him--a trophy of past leaderships, letting everyone knew who the boss was. But what about me? I've been left behind too. Joe lead me for two years before he abandoned me here, condemning me to live in fear and darkness."  
  
"That's not fair." WarAgumon protested, "You volunteered to stay."  
  
"But how much longer would I have lasted?" Izzy returned. "You saw what he did to Sora. He left her behind. The whole 2 years I was with him all he ever seemed to do was lose people. How many of you were left that year after I wasn't? Gomamon died, that's for sure; some partner Joe turned out to be."  
  
"He did it for the good of the team." WarAgumon replied. "You think he WANTED to do all that? You think he wanted to go against every ounce of Reliability he held within him? The one trait he held dear?"  
  
"Reliability? Now there's a joke if I ever heard one." Izzy sneered. "Him, being Mr. Reliable, when all he ever did was lose people. Well, I've led these people three more years than he did me, and not one of them has ever had to ask themselves if they're in good hands while they're here. They're all safe, and many of them are returning my favor by volunteering their time to stop unfortunate fates from happening to other 'mons like them."  
  
"Will you quit it with the abondonment already?!?" WarAgumon snapped.  
  
"I most certainly will not!" Izzy interrupted, emphasizing his point. He calmed, composed himself, and let out a small sigh. "This isn't getting us anywhere. How about I give you a tour of our facilities, and you can decide whether you agree with our cause or not."  
  
"Fine by us." Davis agreed, happy to be part of the conversation again. Chibimon hopped onto the goggle-boy's shoulder, and the visitors followed Izzy into their free tour.  
  
---------------  
  
"And this," Izzy's appointed Gazimon guide announced, after countless other rooms, "Is our sickbay. Normally I wouldn't leave you alone by yourselves here, but I think it'll be okay."  
  
"Huh?" Davis mused aloud, "Someone's trusting ME with something important?"  
  
"It's not what you think." the Gazimon replied simply, and walked away.  
  
Davis sat on the hard floor, tucking his knees. "Great," he moaned, "Even in worlds where I never existed, people still think I'm a jerk."  
  
"It's nothing personal." V-mon said, trying to cheer his partner up. "Seeing as no one in our world thought too highly of you either."  
  
Davis groaned some more, and tucked his head further into his lap.  
  
Cold steel patted him on the back, and he was jolted somewhat by the touch. The friendly gesture was accompanied by WarAgumon's voice. "Cheer up," he recommended, "It can always be worse."  
  
Davis looked up at the Digidestined's newest friend. Even in a world so dark, a world where everthing that could go wrong had, compassion still existed in the hearts of those who sought it. It gave all-new meaning to the saviors of the world; his world's digidestined answered to it, but these truly fought the good fight for it. After what, thirty-seven years on Gennai's dominance? Quite an impressive feat.  
  
The door to the last room opened inward, depriving Davis of his back support. He fell backwards, finding himself looking up at one of the last people he'd've expected to see.  
  
"Mimi?" he exclaimed, not-exactly-understanding. "But Jyou said you were dead."  
  
"Actually, I think he said he had to leave before he could find out." TK amended.  
  
"Then it IS true." Mimi gasped, hands shaking. "Kami was right all along. There truly ARE other worlds to draw from."  
  
"Oh yeah?" Davis resisted, "Well what makes you so sure I'm not from your world, and helping out from this side?"  
  
"We MADE WarAgumon." Mimi pointed out. "There's no way else he'd be here unless he'd came back."  
  
"And here I thought I'd outsmarted someone..." Davis sighed.  
  
TK ignored him, cutting in with a few questions of his own. "You survived." he noted. "Joe was almost sure you wouldn't have."  
  
"I guess Joe didn't give me all the credit I deserved." she shrugged. "But no matter what Izzy says, I know he was trying to help us, with everything he did. I saw how hurt he was to leave people behind."  
  
"But you joined Izzy's cause anyway?" Yolei asked. "If he's such a jerk in this world, not that the (remarkably cute) computer genius from our world is, then why work for him?"  
  
"To find out if any of the others lived through it all." Mimi explained. "Izzy has access to networks Joe couldn't possibly have imagined. And since me, Izzy, and Palmon are still around, that means some of the others could be too."  
  
"How?" Cody asked. "Weren't they all destroyed?"  
  
"Not necessarilly." Mimi bit her lip, thinking. She collected her thoughts, and explained, "You see, we haven't exactly SEEN very many fatalities. Tai, Matt, and Kari are all corpses, and we saw Metal Etemon kill Gabu- and Gatomon. But everyone else was lost in retreats, circumstance, or the group's separation. For all we know, _Angemon_ might never have died, as unlikely as it seems. Five deaths aren't really all that much to base their condemnation on."  
  
"Six." Kami inserted.  
  
"Beg pardon?" Mimi asked.  
  
"Joe died trying to recruit us." Kari explained. "In our world, the digimon are enslaved by an evil emperor, who controls them through dark rings--collars, of sorts. He ambushed us while Joe was explaining your story, and he barely managed to finish it before he met his own demise."  
  
"I see." Mimi said blankly, the sounds of their words stinging even her eyes. Tears welled up, and though she fought them back, trickled down her cheeks.  
  
The digidestined glanced at one-another. Davis held his hands up--he was no counselor, and knew better than to even try. TK nodded, though whether out of acknowledgement or agreement none could be sure. Yolie poked her tongue in her cheek, regretfully staying back. That left Kari and Cody; one of them had to say something.  
  
"Mimi--" Kari offered.  
  
"Izzy's asked me to let you stay here tonight, on the infirmary beds, until other quarters can be arranged." she squeaked, choking on her own sobs. "Get a good night's sleep; he'll want to speak to you again come morning, and you'd be best not to shrug it off as trivial. I'll be at the front desk if you need me."  
  
"Are you sure?" Kari asked.  
  
"I'll be fine." she lied. "But go on. After all, you've got a big day ahead of you."  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
To Be Continued  
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	5. NGO Episode 2: Newfound Allies, Part 2

"New Gennai Order" -- Episode 02: "Newfound Allies, Part 2"  
(C) June 2001, Ryan Berke  
http://ryanberke.cjb.net/  
  
  
((DEDICATION: This one's for Thinker, who I'm begging to help out with this fic. If anyone other than him ends up reading this, it's because I finished this at the last minute before going away to camp for two weeks, and gave this to him for editing and subsequent posting. If you're not familiar with him or his works, check out "A.D.: After Digimon -- SCATTERED," one of my personal favorites of his, and "A.D.: After Digimon -- Resurrection," of which he let me write a sequel for. To Thinker, thanks man.))  
  
((ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE: For the remainder of the saga, I'll try to use Kari's japanese name (Hikari), so she and Kami are less easily confused. Likewise, I'll be using TK's (Takeru) because it reads better in Notepad.))  
  
((DISCLAIMER: I do not own, nor do I claim to own, any of the Digimon characters (heck, I refuse to claim even the ones I made up! Feel free to steal them!) They are all property of FoxKids, Toei, and Bandai. I haven't received any permission ahead of time, but then this wouldn't be a Fanfic, would it? Likewise, I do not own the song "What If?" by Creed))  
  
((ADDITIONAL DISCLAIMER: This story is not Copywritten, as implied by the heading. (c) stands for "completed," allowing me to know when I wrote it.))  
  
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Davis opened his eyes.  
  
It was dark. He was in a bed, though it was not his. The mattress was too hard, the blankets too rough. He turned his head to look around, and realized he'd best add a lumpy pillow to his growing list of complaints.  
  
He saw two more beds, but only enough to see someone was in them, though not who. Extracting his hand from the covers, he moved to turn on the bedside lamp. V-mon stirred on the floor beside him. Maybe it'd be best not to wake him.  
  
Not that turning on the light would; the bulb was shattered.  
  
Gound Zero wasn't making out to be a very cozy place. Better than expected, given the circumstances, but nothing like the comforts of home.  
  
Slowly, carefully, he sat up, pushing the blankets away. Mindful of his footing, he sidestepped his true blue friend and tiptoed out the door, quietly shutting it behind him, listening for the click.  
  
The lights came on. Freeze.  
  
"Can I help you?"  
  
Davis let his shoulders relax, turning to face the speaker. The voice was familiar to him, though he hadn't met the speaker in this world yet.  
  
"Not a problem, Palmon," he replied. "I just couldn't sleep."  
  
"Oh, would you like me to prescribe something? Normally I'm supposed to ask Mimi, but I think I could manage."  
  
"No, it's fine," Davis dismissed. He frowned, then asked, "Where is Mimi, anyways?"  
  
"She's with Izzy and Kami trying to figure out what to do next. You guys are the best shot we have of defeating Lord Dramon, and they're trying to figure out how best to work it to our advantage." Palmon explained.  
  
"Makes sense," Davis acknowledged. "Especially given this world's history."  
  
"They just don't want you guys to end up like Jyou did--she still loves him, y'know. She hasn't talked much ever since he left, always praying for his safe return. When you guys showed up, she thought he finally had. Maybe she still thinks he will."  
  
"Even though he's already dead," Davis noted.  
  
"And Izzy's been milking it for all its worth," she agreed. "It's not that Jyou was a bad leader; he just didn't know where to draw the line."  
  
Davis blinked, shifting. "Pardon?"  
  
"The proverbial line between right and wrong," she clarified, launching into an explanation. "Jyou spent all his time trying to live up to his father's standards. He was so afraid to take risks, he didn't dare make them. Then, all of a sudden, it was he who had to make the life-and-death decisions, and he didn't know when and where to stop.  
  
"When some of us started disappearing, he quantified his resulting feelings by number of losses. Yami helped him to change tactics, so they depended on likeliness of casualties. That's why some of the deaths ended up meaningless; he'd lost four of us already, and was experimenting to figure out how to lose the fewest possible."  
  
"I see..." Davis said slowly, once he was sure she was done. Whether he did see or not was unclear.  
  
"Doesn't exactly sound like the kind of thing you'd confess to Mimi," he commented, additionally. "Bet it feels great to get it off your chest."  
  
Palmon blinked in momentary confusion, "Uh...yeah, actually. Now that you mention it."  
  
Davis smiled and put his hands behind his head. "Glad I could help." he turned and walked back into the hospital dormitory.  
  
_That's funny, he didn't get whatever he came for,_ Palmon realized. _Could it be he just knew I needed to talk to? Even when _I_ didn't?_  
  
As if to prove her wrong, the door reopened. Davis exited with a rather large (and painful-looking) bump on his head, and walked this time into the door to the _Boys'_ dorm.  
  
Palmon sighed.  
  
---------------  
  
"Rise and shine," Izzy's surprisingly, and almost mockingly, upbeat voice ordered. If there were shutters in the underground room, he'd certainly have thrown them open. Instead, he settled for the overhead light fixture.  
  
"Go 'way!" Yolei moaned.  
  
"The others are waiting," he replied. "It's relative-morning."  
  
"Go on without me," she groaned. "I need my sleep."  
  
Izzy's eyes narrowed. He grabbed at the linen sheets and yanked them off the bed--apparently, he didn't like the idea of his orders being disobeyed. If he wasn't the likeness of the computer club president, Yolei would've slapped him right then-and-there. Not that it would've gone over too well with the rest of the Resistance.  
  
"Listen, I never asked for you to come here," Izzy replied, gruffly. "Grateful as I am for the help, we've gotten along just fine without you. As long as you're in _my_ territory, you live by _my_ rules."  
  
This was definitely _not_ the Izzy she was used to. After a moment, his face softened and he added, "If your people are willing to do a few favors for us, the Resistance is willing to help you find a way home."  
  
Home? Home was good.  
  
She gave herself a once-over, noting her nightgown with a tug to one corner. "I'll be out in a moment, after I get dressed."  
  
"How do I know you won't just go back to sleep?" he inquired.  
  
She patted her D-Terminal at her bedside. "I've got the Digimental of Sincerity, ne? You can count on me to be there."  
  
Izzy's only reply was in closing the door behind him as he left. Hearing the rustle of clothing behind him, he knew the girl spoke the truth.  
  
He shook his head. After seven years, it was hard to think of someone other than Mimi with the crest of Sincerity. These new digidestined would take some getting used to.  
  
And for better or worse, once they were on their way, he knew he wouldn't have to.  
  
---------------  
  
Izzy walked into his War Room, hailed by the respectful rise of his officers. Ever the diplomats, Takeru and Hikari rose too, as did Kami and WarAgumon. Izzy dismissed the assembly with a wave, and chairs were reclaimed. He took his place at the head of the conference table, the end furthest from the door, and waited patiently. Yolei arrived minutes later, taking an empty seat. The meeting was ready to begin.  
  
The table itself, uneven as though altered for this convention of freedom fighters, sat 12 occupants. To Izzy's Right, his senior officers, a Gazi-, Wizar-, Gotsu-, and Agu-mon, followed by Mimi, backed by Palmon. Opposite them were the five outlanders, with their In-Training partners varying from Upamon, bouncing happily in Cody's lap, to Chibimon, snuggled under Davis' goggles and snoring softly. Kami took the opposite end, WarAgumon at her side. So many human/digimon pairs shook loose a sense of longing in Izzy, but he quickly suppressed it to wait until he was alone.  
  
"Friends," he began, arms wide to address the motley assembly, "Today truly marks a joyous occasion, a true turning point in our history. In an effort to ensure this, I needn't tell you that everything said within these walls, from this point on, is completely confidential.

"For two years now, Lord Dramon has brought pain and suffering upon our world. Bested only by his Master, Gennai, we've been left completely at his mercy. But no longer. From this point on, we will not go down silently. We finally have a way to fight back.  
  
"Wizarmon," he finished, everyone's attention his, "You have the floor."  
  
"Certainly, sir." Wizarmon rose, addressing his audience, "We've put together Survival Packs for each of you, each located under your respective seats." He paused as the packs were withdrawn, digidestined and partner sifting through the contents. I'd brief you on the contents, but most is self-explanatory.  
  
"What you DO need to know, is that we've included a two-piece communication device you can use, in case of emergencies only. The first part, located in Kami's pack, contains directions to emergency safehouses where you can stay. Don't think of betraying us; they're linked to the combinations of your digivices and biosignatures, and even if you do turn traitor, the safehouses aren't tied in any way to here. The first part is entirely encrypted, and useless without the second. The second part, located in Hikari's pack, is the encryption mechanism. It only works within the region it's in; in other words, using it gives you only the closest safehouse, not all of them. Additionally, it sends out an untraceable, broad-beam transmission upon use, so we know when and where you are if it's used. Don't even try to disable the transmitter; it's also set to activate if the outer casing is cracked, and all components are wired through it, so if at any point it becomes inactive, the entire device is useless. In short: do not mess with us."  
"Your objective is clear," the Agumon added, demanding their attention, Wizarmon confirming it with a nod. "Destroy Lord Dramon, and your mission is complete. His name confirms it: he'll be susceptible to WarAgumon's Dramon Destroyers, so tactically, his use would make sense. As for the rest of you, this guy was able to digivolve pretty fast. Keep on your toes, in case he has any more tricks up his sleeve."  
  
"At that point," Izzy added, "Activate the transmitter, if you haven't already done so, and we'll arrange for my Digivice to be sent to you. If the transmitter HAS already been used, you'll have been given another. The second is only for use upon Lord Dramon's defeat. We're not about to sacrifice all our safehouses without a reason to. Once you have the digivice, Kami can use it to open another portal, and your task will be complete.  
  
"Are there any questions?" he finished, expecting none, but hoping for them nonetheless. They'd been pretty thorough about this; taking nothing for granted, foolproofing at every level. But this new batch of kids thought completely different from anyone he'd ever seen before, and worked in ways he'd never imagined possible. If there were any flaws to be worked out, they were the ones who'd find them.  
  
"Since you obviously aren't willing to trust us," Davis asked, "why not just send WarAgumon and be done with us?"  
  
"We considered it," Izzy admitted, "But after reviewing the battle with Piedmon, it's evident that WarAgumon may encounter unknown threats he is unable to handle alone," he paused, possibly to make sure what he'd said made sense, but more likely to see if it did to the neanderthal with whom he spoke. Davis nodded, so Izzy took his cue to continue. "As digidestined, you are resourceful, as newcomers, you are unknown to the enemy, and as foreigners, you'll be willing to do what it takes to return home."  
  
Davis gave a final and knowing nod, made somewhat awkward by the Chibimon perched on his head. He gently set his friend on the table, and folded his hands in his lap.  
  
"Any other questions?" Izzy asked. There were none. "Very well, you're dismissed."  
  
---------------  
  
Hours later, the children emerged on the surface, under the cover of night. The lift door closed behind them, a loud explosion signalling it's collapse. Dirt and dust flew outward, settling on the party in a thin film.  
  
Cody brushed himself off, "They sure are going through a lot of trouble for us. Putting in one of those things couldn't have been easy."  
  
"Or cheap," Takeru added. "They had to get the construction resources somewhere. Even if it was all leftovers from Machinedramon, they still had to sacrifice it from other use."  
  
"Especially those charges for the explosion," Hikari agreed. "They probably deal a lot of damage, as loud as they are."  
  
"Maybe too loud," Gatomon cautioned, darkly.  
  
"Too loud, indeed," a sinister voice chuckled. "I knew if I waited long enough, I'd have my revenge."  
  
"PIEDMON!" they gasped in unison.  
  
"You hope to overthrow my master and save this world." he stated, "Well, I'm not going to let you. If you ever want to see Lord Dramon's territory, you'll have to get through me first."  
  
"Careful what you wish for," WarAgumon launched himself at Piedmon, grabbing the midsection and letting the momentum guide him through a tackle. "It might come true."  
  
"It's digivolving time!" Davis called, leading his companions in whipping out his D-Terminal. Gatomon and Patamon already prepared, the In-Training digimon grew into their Rookie forms. "We know we can't beat him with damage, so pick whatever can dodge best and work from there."  
  
V-mon, Armor Digivolve into... Raidramon, the Storm of Friendship!  
Hawkmon, Armor Digivolve into... Shyurimon, the Samarai of Sincerity!  
Armadillomon, Armor Digivolve into... Digmon, the Drill of Power!  
Gatomon, Armor Digivolve into... Nefertimon, The Angel of Light!  
Patamon, Armor Digivolve into... Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!  
  
_And so the battle is joined,_ Hikari noted, _but is it enough?_ She bit her lip, setting down her pack. She started sifting through it, just in case.  
  
---------------  
  
"So, who's next?" Piedmon sneered, several hours and a fierce battle later. His defeated foes lay once again exhausted in a heap. WarAgumon was sprawled out on his stomach, Piedmon's foot to his back, pinning him down. He strained in his attempts for freedom, using all his strength just to lift himself up enough to breathe. The effort didn't escape Piedmon's attention, who squashed the resistance, removing all weight from his other foot.  
  
"If you must take anyone, take me." Davis offered, rising from his vigil at Chibimon's side. One hand behind his back, he stepped away, separating his and his companions' ultimate fates.  
  
"Such bravery will be rewarded with a painless demise," Piedmon grinned. "Are you the bearer of the Crest of Courage, in your world?"  
  
"Yeah!" Davis smiled like a little kid, glad for the recognition. The smile never left his face as he added, "But I'm also well known for my bullheadedness against people like you!" He whipped out his hidden arm, revealing a signal flare. He opened it right in front of Piedmon's face, sending the Mega digimon staggering backwards.  
  
"Insolent pest!" he screamed, frantically rubbing his eyes to clear the blindness. "I should've known; but now, you'll really pay!"  
  
Vision clearing, he zeroed in on his adversary. He took a step forward, matched by Davis' nervous step back. Davis felt the back of his foot brush his pack, and knew there was no more running to be done.  
  
"Davis!" Hikari cried, hurling something, anything, at Piedmon. It hit him square in the head, bouncing off harmlessly and hitting gravel. His attention shifted, but only slightly.  
  
It gave WarAgumon the opening he needed. Launching himself in a tackle not unlike the one that began the fight, he removed the danger towards Davis, by removing the threat.  
  
Piedmon snarled. "Haven't had enough, have you?"  
  
"As long as scum like you exist, my purpose will next be satisfied." WarAgumon countered. "I was forged solely for the purpose of destroying you and those like you, and I fully intent to devote my life to it."  
  
"You speak as if 'life' and 'long' were synonymous," Piedmon laughed.  
  
"Perhaps they are," WarAgumon replied. "Either way, what's it matter to you? Why kill a mere boy like him, when you could take on a battle-hardened veteran like me."  
  
Davis felt the urge to protest, but thought better of it. WarAgumon stood a better chance of surviving than he did, and no way would he be able to get away with the flare trick twice.  
  
"Very well." Piedmon agreed, backing down. "So far we have yet to settle _our_ score. In our last encounter, your cowardice led you to hide between barriers in Alliance tricks. In our first, you escaped into the other world, leaving the girl behind. Pity I didn't finish her off while I had the chance; I wonder what became of her."  
  
"You'll never live long enough to find out," WarAgumon retorted, clenching his teeth.  
  
"Oh, won't I?" Piedmon doubted. "You escaped me twice; it will not happen again."  
  
"Nor would I desire it." WarAgumon agreed.  
  
"You're a fool." Piedmon sneered. "A brave fool. Nevertheless, you cannot win. You can not resist me, you cannot defeat me. And now, you will die. TRUMP SWORD!"  
  
His arm snapped forward, saber snaking along it to launch itself at its victim. WarAgumon jumped over the projectile, but this only provoked it to adjust its course. Veering around, it came right back at him.  
  
Piedmon on one side, sword on the other, WarAgumon did the only sensible thing. He dodged.  
  
The sword struck home, sending Piedmon staggering from his own malicious intent.  
  
"Very good." he complimented, "But such parlor tricks will not win you a battle. You cannot last long; I will prevail." The trickle of doubt in his voice didn't support the claim, and for perhaps the first time he could remember, an inkling of fear penetrated his mind.  
  
He brushed aside the unwelcome sensation, wielding a sword in either hand. Surging forwards, he swung wildly, leaving WarAgumon hard-pressed to counter. The clash of claw and steel resounded, as both combatants used every ounce of adrenaline their digital bodies had to offer.  
  
Stepping back, Piedmon unleashed the pair of blades, and both flew directly at WarAgumon. Both missed, but now his attention was divided, blades flying behind, still just as lethal as before. The other two joined the whirlwind, and WarAgumon was trying desperately not to let any near enough to cause harm.  
  
Taking advantage of the distraction, Piedmon did the only sensible thing possible. He pressed his attack, taking down the warrior with a simple uppercut.  
  
The blades stopped their erratic flights, focussing on the intended target. They embedded themselves around him, bracketing his head and waist.  
  
"Nowhere to run, my Nemesis," Piedmon observed. "The battle is mine."  
  
"Not quite," WarAgumon replied. Gritting his teeth and drawing on all reserves, he forged a ball of pure energy in his palms, and willed it _outward_, forcing Piedmon away. The miniature Terra Force served its purpose, buying time for him. Unexpectedly, the shockwave of the impact sent him skidding backwards against the ground, the Trump Swords digging into his shoulders before splintering under the strain.  
  
"Looks like we're even," WarAgumon gasped, wincing with the pain. Unable to stand, he remained where he laid.  
  
"Think so?" Piedmon asked. "CLOWN TRICK!"  
  
WarAgumon braced himself for the onslaught, but felt none. Instead, he opened his eyes to watch four new swords summoned out of thin air, sheathing themselves under Piedmon's control.  
  
WarAgumon gulped. This was truly the end. A life spent fighting for the liberation of the world he was destined to protect. He wouldn't have had it any other way.  
  
The closure was almost refreshing.  
  
A short distance separated he and his death. Piedmon seemed to savor the victory, advancing slowly. He held two swords at the ready, but resisted the urge to throw them, deciding instead to make the killing blow himself. An eternity later, he stood over his opponent, ready to strike.  
  
"And now we know who the better 'mon truly is," he gloated, slicing downwards.  
  
The blow never landed. The short distance that separated was suddenly occupied by an explosive force, sending Piedmon hurtling back.  
  
Where did it come from? Not WarAgumon; he seemed as shocked as the clown was, if not more. Then where... there, on the horizon. Two vague shapes, one on the ground, and one flying.  
  
Which left the next question: Where did _they_ come from?  
  
He took a step backwards, stepping in a small pile of electronics, the remains of Hikari's desperate counter attack. Discarded and forgotten, the transmitter's LED display blinked one final time, before crumbling under Piedmon's heel.  
  
"Okay everyone," Davis ordered, drawing strength from the reinforcement, "One more time. Digivolve."  
  
V-mon, Armor Digivolve into... Flamedramon, the Fire of Courage!  
Hawkmon, Armor Digivolve into... Shyurimon, the Samarai of Sincerity!  
Armadillomon, Armor Digivolve into... Digmon, the Drill of Power!  
Gatomon, Armor Digivolve into... Nefertimon, The Angel of Light!  
Patamon, Armor Digivolve into... Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!  
  
Piedmon looked around frantically for escape. He was weak; better though he was to WarAgumon, it had taken a lot from him, and the remaining opponents seemed to have this limitless source of energy that kept them coming back. He had little time to think more of it before his body was rocked by another impact from afar.  
  
Pegasusmon and Nefertimon took advantage of the scenario, trapping the clown with a "Golden Noose!". He twisted around to wrest his way free, but found his arms restrained in Flamedramon's iron grip. Before he could react to that, an airborn impact hit, the call of "Twin Beam!" in the air. The duo dug their feet into the ground to resist the blow, but were still sent in a generally backward direction. To Piedmon's dismay, it wasn't enough to shake the blue defender of Courage from his back.  
  
The forms were more clear, in fact, within short-range now. The unmistakable pair of a Tankmon and a Mekanorimon rolled up to the digidestined, the Tank stopping next to Hikari and opening its hatch.  
  
"Looks like I showed up just in time," Mimi commented, poking her head out. "Good thing you sent us the message."  
  
"Thanks for the save," Hikari agreed, "But could we save the conversation until _after_ we've beat the bad guy?"  
  
"Of course," Mimi replied. "Let's see how well he takes to this baby at point-blank."  
  
Hearing the exchange, Piedmon's eyes went wide in shock. He was doing so well, how could he lose now? This couldn't be happening.  
  
"This one's for Jyou, you self-centered bastard," Mimi laughed. Clutching the firing control, she fired off one final blast. Flamedramon went flying, which is more than she could say for Piedmon...  
  
Flamedramon landed amidst a flutter of dissolving virus. Exhausted, he de-digivolved two levels, and let sleep take him.  
  
Davis scooped up his friend, as the Mekanorimon landed beside him. Palmon clambered out, landing beside him as the dust settled.  
  
"I never got a chance to thank you for this morning," she said.  
  
Davis gently stroked Chibimon's head, looking up as the sun overtook the eternal night of the blackened plain. There was such beauty in this land once so torn. "I guess I have you to thank for this one," he chuckled.  
  
  
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To Be Continued  
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Email me at [RyanBerke@aol.com][1]. Questions, comments and criticism are welcome!  
  
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   [1]: mailto:Ryanberke@aol.com
   [2]: http://www.geocities.com/ryanberke/



	6. NGO Episode 3: Reconaissance

"New Gennai Order" -- Episode 03: (Working Title)  
(C) February 2002, Ryan Berke  
http://www.geocities.com/ryanberke/  
  
  
  
((ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE: I'm switching this entire series from PG-13 to R, due to similar ratings on similar stories. I, as an author, feel that such a rating is appropriate for a story of such dark nature, and a necessary change in preparation of the story ahead.))  
  
((ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE (2): Due to requests, I'll me switching the names around to encourage uniformity. The children from the local world will all use their English Dubbed names, and the visitors from the other world (the one with the 02 cast) will use Japanese. Previous chapters will be altered to conform to the change, including the Joe/Jyou thing.))  
  
((DISCLAIMER: I do not own, nor do I claim to own, any of the Digimon characters (heck, I refuse to claim even the ones I made up! Feel free to steal them--but let me know first!) They are all property of FoxKids, Toei, and Bandai. I haven't received any permission ahead of time, but then this wouldn't be a Fanfic, would it? Likewise, I do not own the song "What If?" by Creed))  
  
((ADDITIONAL DISCLAIMER: This story is not Copywritten, as implied by the heading. (c) stands for "completed," allowing me to know when I wrote it.))  
  
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"No, Mimi, you can't come back." Izzy had said, "That stunt you pulled was entirely against my orders. You were told to stay at base; the tamper-proofing alarm had been set off, and we'd decided they couldn't be trusted. End of story."  
  
The words echoed through her mind, trying to find purchase in her blurred realm of dark memories. With so many to get lost in, why couldn't this one find a place and _stay_ there?  
  
For eight years, she'd been fighting for freedom in the digital world. The first was mild by comparison, but taxing nonetheless, as she and her friends educated themselves in the basics of digivolution. Then three more, on the run from their strongest ally, now their worst enemy. She'd learned to love, an undying love for the man she knew would return for her.  
  
And after four more of waiting, he hadn't.  
  
Funny how things turn out. Eight years ago, she was just some whining brat, spoiled by her parents, above the other kids. Eight years ago, she'd lead a normal, although more privileged than most, life. Eight years ago, her family was still alive. The war had changed everything.  
  
No child should have to grow up like this.  
  
"They would have died." she'd protested, an opinion only affirming her belief in resistance. "Piedmon was too strong for them."  
  
"You don't know that." he'd snapped. "And that's not your call to make."  
  
No, it hadn't been, she supposed. Digidestined she may be, but the Resistance was _his_ undertaking, and it was innapropriate of her to lose sight of that. She didn't regret her decision, but she knew someone did.  
  
He was mad because he knew she was right.  
  
She'd resisted the urge to smile, protesting instead, "And you'd have let Piedmon kill them?"  
  
"Assuming your decision was correct, responding to the alarm our tamper-proofing set off, that doesn't negate the fact that they squandered their only call for help on their first day out." he'd countered. "They have no sense of resource management, nor battlefield tactics or they'd not have needed it. Anyone who can't survive a day out there isn't worth devoting more resources to."  
  
"Resource Management?" she asked. "Is that why you chose to condemn them? Because they volunteered to leave a world where this nightmare never occured, to lose all security for the sake of doing what was right? Because, even though they're our only chance, we can't afford to treat them as such?"  
  
He seemed to ponder that over, in that Crest-of-Knowledge-way Izzy had always had about him. Wizened by his time here, he remained silent, allowing his mind to piece together the stirrings within.  
  
And much as she hated it, she knew what she had to say. And she could only say it while he was still in the state he was in.  
  
"You'd abandon them." she'd stated, definitely not a question. "Like Joe abandoned you."  
  
That comment hit home. Izzy's eyes glared at her, even as the tears of his memories began to form before him.  
  
"Go to Wizardmon, and get the secondary transmitter. Then see Gotsumon about getting another pack put together." he'd forced out the order. "Go to the volunteers, as you so choose to call them, and never come back. I can't have someone around questioning my orders."  
  
"Yes sir." she'd replied sincerely, knowing what she'd just committed herself to, but knowing it was something that had to be done. The encounter had hurt both of them deeply, but they were soldiers, and did what they must for their cause. And though she'd struck a nerve with him, maybe a part of Izzy wished he could be the one out there, doing something to help.  
  
She took one last look at him, her leader even more longstanding than Joe, eyes drinking in the visage of her, despite their differences, longtime friend. She almost winced at the sight of his replacement leg, but keeping up appearances, forced herself not to. The war really had changed everything.  
  
With all the sincerity she could muster, she looked him in the eyes. "It's been an honor serving with you, sir."  
  
"The honor is mine," he'd replied, almost mechanically, "But that still doesn't make up for the fact that you went against orders, and put us all at risk."  
  
"Of course not, sir." she'd replied, stepping out of his office, and out of her position in the Resistance. Hearing the door close behind her, she turned to go get Palmon, see about those supplies from Wizardmon and Gotsumon, and leave. For good.  
  
---------------  
  
"So, there's a time difference between this Digiworld and all other worlds?" Miyako watched Daisuke ask, as he tried to understand. After a long march, they'd found a suitable campsite at which they could rest up before continuing the journey. A forest clearing, they had room to move around, while not completely visible to anyone approaching. A stream ran nearby, not a stone's throw away, to provide them water for drinking, cooking, and bathing. The visitors themselves sat around the clearing, some working, most resting.  
  
Kami sighed, explaining the concept to the unlikely commander. "Every world has it's sense of time, and that sense controls how fast the temperal flow moves. In this world, that flow is faster than those not at the same speed. It's not faster than all worlds, just those that don't flow fast enough to keep up."  
  
"Alright, not all worlds, but at least ours." he ceded. "So while time passes here, a lot less time passes in our world."  
  
"At a rate of approximately two years a day." she confirmed. "Although in most cases, the rate isn't so consistent. This one being caused by Gennai's artificial intervention, it stabilized more consistently. Two years per day is accurate, though."  
  
"At that rate, unless it takes us an unreasonable span of time to carry out this mission, we'll be back in our world before the Kaizer can do any real damage." he noted, thinking aloud. "Which means we'll be training during all this time he doesn't have to work with." his eyes lit up, as he exclaimed to the group. "Hey guys, by the time we get back, maybe it won't be so hard to take out control spires. I bet we could shatter them in one hit, after everything we do here."  
  
"Assuming we can get back." Miyako voiced her bitter opinion, still unwilling to admit a civic duty to this world. She'd never wanted to be here in the first place, and she wasn't about to let her friends off for choosing to come.  
  
Daisuke seemed about to say something, but Kami gestured otherwise. "Do you hear that?" she asked.  
  
WarAgumon and she shared a glance, and with a nod, he soundlessly slipped into the forest around them. For a few long minutes, no one dared make a sound, until finally, a brief scream of surprise was let up.  
  
"All clear," WarAgumon called back, his companions running to join him. "Though I think we've got a visitor."  
  
"I'm no visitor." Mimi replied, as the last of the volunteers stepped into her sight. "I'm one of you guys now. Izzy didn't much like my going against orders to help you, and kicked me out."  
  
"Welcome to the team!" Takeru grinned. "Now we've got you as a guide to the Resistance and current events, and Kami as one for digivolving and digiphysical concepts."  
  
"Not to mention an accomplished medic." Hikari added.  
  
"It's nothing much," Mimi shrugged modestly, "Just a few tips and tricks I picked up from Joe while he was around."  
  
"Maybe so, but it's more than we've got now." Armadillomon replied.  
  
Seeing as the coast was clear, the volunteers slowly drifted back to their campsite-clearing, delighted at the joyous reunion, laughing at Daisuke' antics. Miyako wasted no time in finding a place to sit, away from the others, where she was free to think.  
  
She still hurt inside from yesterday with Izzy. She didn't understand how he could change so much. Physically was understandable, given the four-year difference, and the prosthetic was circumstancial. But personality-wise, she'd never expect what she'd seen. The computer club founder could be analytical at times, but never so ruthless. Mimi's expulsion only confirmed it.  
  
The others didn't understand. They saw her involvement with their homeland Izzy to be no more than a simple crush. True as that may be, none of them had to face their crush-gone-wrong as he yelled at them.  
  
Well, Sincerity in mind, she had to admit that wasn't quite fair. It's not like any of them had been to another world before, and Daisuke was the only one of them who seemed to have such a strong crush. And the this-world equivalent of her was long dead.  
  
They didn't understand her. They saw her as some girl who couldn't decide which guy was for her. They were right, but they didn't realize that chasing boys was like breathing for her. Her older sister had boys, and the only way to live up to that was to have some of her own.  
  
Not that there was much in the way of guys out here. In this whole world, Izzy was the only one of them to survive, far as anyone knew, and he was definitely out. And of the ones they'd brought with them? Iori was too young, and Daisuke was... Daisuke. Which left Takeru.  
  
Now that she thought about it, she guessed he was kind of cute.  
  
Hikari wouldn't mind. She didn't seem too interested anyway. Kami was too focused on the war, and Mimi eternally recovering from Joe's loss. It's not like she'd be taking him from anyone.  
  
She could see it now: she and Takeru, alone in this strange world, getting by only by their love for one another. And once it was all over, she'd look into his dreamy eyes, and he'd stare back. And then, he'd say to her:  
  
"Miyako? You up for some survival rations?"  
  
She snapped out of her daydream, realizing the boy of her thoughts stood right before her. "I... uh..."  
  
"They're not really much of a dinner, but they're better than nothing." he continued, not noticing her brief lapse.  
  
"Dinner?" Miyako asked, "I'd love to."  
  
"Great!" he replied, apparently not noticing her choice of words. He held out his hand, offering to help her up. "C'mon; the others set up a fire, and we're all gonna sit by it while we eat."  
  
Dinner by the fire? With Takeru? Miyako wasn't complaining. She rose, and walked with him to find a good seat.  
  
---------------  
  
"So, does anyone have a good battle plan?" Daisuke asked, tearing into his ration bar, having opened and given one to Chibimon already.  
  
"First off, I say we need to figure out what's in the area." Takeru suggested. "That way, we'll be able to forage for food, figure out who our friends and enemies are, and where the points of interest are."  
  
"There should be a town nearby, just downstream." Mimi offered.  
  
"Any idea how they'd react to our appearances?" WarAgumon asked.  
  
"No clue." Mimi replied. "The resistance has monitored them best we can, naturally, but Izzy's not about to risk us by sending live agents to interact with the locals."  
  
That made sense. As dedicated as he was to his cause, Izzy wasn't willing to sacrifice more people, like he'd seen Joe doing. With such a refusal, the resistance could rely only on visual data, and only as provided by line-of-sight from their little spyholes they'd dug out. Still, Izzy didn't believe in risking the lives of those who'd fled to him. So when the visiting digidestined arrived, he jumped at the opportunity that they do the work he'd limited himself from doing. That meant committing them to a fight instead of recon, but if they pulled it off, it'd be for the best.  
  
Iori spoke. "In that case, they might be receptive towards helping us." he said.  
  
"Or they might just turn us over to Lord Dramon, and have us killed before we know enough to be a threat." Gatomon countered.  
  
"What we need is a few of us to go and figure out which one it is." Hawkmon observed.  
  
"Don't look at me." Mimi dismissed. "Palmon and I are well-known members of the resistance. While they haven't seen us in years, our last encounter with Piedmon before Izzy took us in is definitely public knowledge."  
  
"As are myself and WarAgumon, I'm afraid." Kami added.  
  
Daisuke bit his lip. "Alright, so neither of our guides can go. We'll just have to improvise."  
  
"Don't forget," Patamon cautioned, "Any humans who go will have to wait outside the town while their digimon visit. If there are any enemies among the townfolk, human children will be a dead givaway as to who we are."  
  
"Similarly, we'd better choose digimon that wouldn't be too out-of place." Hikari noted. "Probably not Gatomon; word of a Champion would get out too fast." she caught a nasty glare from her partner, and returned the look with a more apologetic one.  
  
"Me and V-mon are out too." Armadillomon sighed. "The we two and Hawkmon are one-of-a-kind, but at least Hawkmon could pass himself off as a Biyomon variant, or something similar. I don't remember anything that looks like me or V-mon."  
  
"So, me and Hawkmon, huh?" Miyako asked, thinking. "Could Takeru come too? Patamon is the only other one who hasn't been ruled out, and I can't do this alone."  
  
"Sounds good to me." Takeru agreed. "But what'll you guys be up to while we're out?"  
  
Kami offered a solution, "Myself, WarAgumon, Mimi, and Palmon will work on getting Daisuke up to date around here. If he's going to lead you, he'll need to be brought up to speed. And I myself wouldn't mind learning more of what I'd missed."  
  
"Iori and I could go foraging in the area." Hikari added. "If nothing else, we'd figure out what's available when the rations run out."  
  
"Sounds like a plan to me." Daisuke agreed.  
  
"Great." Takeru agreed. "We can all head out in the morning."  
  
"G'night everyone." Miyako added, anxious for her day with Takeru to begin.  
  
---------------  
  
"Ready to go?" Takeru asked, bright and early of Miyako. While the sun had been up not more than half-an-hour, pinkened skies of its awakening not entirely gone yet, the digidestined team had been out and about a couple hours. A hot breakfast in their stomachs--Davis had insisted boiled ration bars would be just as good as oatmeal--Kami and Mimi had already begun teaching the goggle-headed boy about survival in this local world (starting with cooking lessons). Kari and Iori, true to their word, worked together in fashioning rudimentary fishing poles for use where the nearby stream hit a calm spot.  
  
"Just about." Miyako replied, kneeling in front of her pack, taking care not to disturb it's contents more than she needed. A recon mission outside the city, she figured all she'd need were a meal or two in ration bars, a canteen full of water, binoculars, her D-3, and her D-Terminal. Brushing her hair out of her eyes as she turned to face him, she saw that Takeru hadn't opted for much else, either.  
  
"There, finished." she said, standing, her pack now closed.  
  
"Then let's go!" Patamon cheered. "The sooner we get there, the more time we have to figure out everything we can."  
  
"Not too soon." Takeru cautioned, as they stepped off. "We don't want to blindly go stumbling into anything we're not prepared for. Just because we'll be there to help you digivolve doesn't mean you can't get hurt."  
  
"But we don't want to wait too long, either." his partner returned, "We need to be back at the camp before dark, or they'll be looking for us."  
  
"Patience." Takeru replied. "I know you're enthusiastic and want this now, but you have to know when to wait, too. It's a balance; without that balance, nothing can ever get done."  
  
"It's like they say:" Hawkmon quipped, "Good things come to those who wait."  
  
"They do say that," Takeru agreed, "But it's a balance, not an extreme."  
  
The party walked on in silence, digesting that last comment. Leaves crinkled under their feet as they walked, and the wind blew across their path, carrying it's early-autumn chill with it. Their path led them farther from the camp, taking on a slight incline as they walked over a hill. The silence became awkward, with none willing to speak. Eventually, Takeru did.  
  
"Would it help you any if we started planning our approach as we walk?"  
  
"Hey, that could work." Patamon agreed. "If nothing else, it'd use up some of the time it'd take to get there."  
  
"That's the idea." Takeru confirmed.  
  
Hawkmon frowned. "But if we've never been to the town, and don't know what it looks like, how are we going to plan something like that?"  
  
"There's still a few things we can consider." Takeru replied, "Like this stream we're following: it widens and narrows, shallows and deepens, twists around bends, but essentially, it'll lead us to the town. We know that it's the right way, even if we don't know what the right way looks like beforehand."  
  
"And more directly," Patamon added, "We know that as a stream running by a village, they probably use it for their daily purposes. If there's a bridge or dock, it gives us somewhere to enter the town by."  
  
"Or hide." Miyako agreed. "Takeru and I could easily keep out of sight under a bridge while the two of you were in town." She smiled at her own suggestion.  
  
"I see." Hawkmon noted. "So you're saying that in planning our approach, we should expect to enter where the stream hits the town."  
  
"Right." Takeru agreed. "And there's what we know about digital towns, too. Towns tend to be diverse, which is really what we're counting on: the two of you should be able to blend in more when the specific digimon aren't uniform in race. Beyond that, there are the characterists inherent of being a town."  
  
"Those being?" Miyako asked.  
  
"Social structure, in this case." Takeru explained. "Patamon and Hawkmon need to visit someplace where people socialize, and see what they can pick up on in conversation. They'll have to keep an eye out for where to go; I wouldn't know what the town has available."  
  
"So if we see something fun, we should go to it." Patamon grinned.  
  
Takeru smiled, amused. "Basically."  
  
"Alright!" Patamon and Hawkmon exclaimed in unison, high-fiving each other.  
  
Yes, 'Alright', Miyako smiled. With her two other teammates in town and off having fun, maybe she could use their absense and have some fun of her own.  
  
---------------  
  
"There it is!" Patamon's hushed voice exclaimed, as the bridge they were looking for came into sight. From their vantage point at the edge of the woods, they saw the river come into the open, then bend to the right, as the bridge crossed it and into the town on the left. Small, single-story, wooden buildings lines the city limits, dirt paths running in between, though few 'mons walked. It was morning, but not early; that time when people with jobs were at work, children were at school, and the town was too wrapped up in it's different places to make full use of the roads. The bridge, itself, was a footbridge (also made of wood), arching a few feet over the water to let small boats through, if need be. It was empty, with no one crossing it, nor watching it.  
  
They quietly made their approach, sneaking along the side of the river opposite the town. Reaching the bridge undetected, Patamon and Hawkmon waited for their partners to quietly wade into the water and under the bridge before trying to cross it themselves. Takeru listened for their footsteps over his head, and when they'd crossed, he let out a sigh.  
  
Now all they had to do was wait.  
  
---------------  
  
A round of laughter bellowed out of the Hard Drive Tavern, cut short as the doors swung open, and two newcomers stepped in. They were mere Rookies, but they were ones no one had seen before, and the whole tavern watched in hushed silence as they made their way to the bar.  
  
"Hey, Barkeep," the flying orange one said, "Two beers."  
  
The bartender looked at them oddly, asking, "Are you sure you two Rookies wouldn't prefer something a little more suitable for your age?"  
  
"Soda's will be fine." the short bird agreed, catching a glare from his companion. The two hopped up on the barstools, and while the bartender fixed their drinks, traded words as the rest of the room resumed its conversations.  
  
"What're you doing?" Patamon hissed, quietly.  
  
"You don't need to act tough." Hawkmon said. "We're here to act casually, not attract attention."  
  
"We're here to have _fun_." Patamon replied. "Don't tell me you've never wanted to do that."  
  
"It doesn't work that way."  
  
The bartender sat their drinks on the counter in front of them, and the two stopped speaking and smiled at him. Hawkmon thanked him, and he walked away to carry out more of his business.  
  
"Look." Hawkmon continued, "We got lucky; this town seems to be a little more diverse than we'd expected. Not only do the digimon here vary in race, but in level of evolution. It wouldn't surprise me to see champions and ultimates running shops outside."  
  
Patamon's eyes widened at the suggestion, realizing the potential danger. "Champions we could probably handle, with Takeru and Miyako to help us, but if we pick a fight with an Ultimate, we're dust!"  
  
"Exactly." Hawkmon replied. "But it also tells us something else, at least about this town. Since digimon are able to achieve such higher forms of digivolution, they've built a society around it. Rookies are treated either as children or lower-class citizens, and we fit the label. We have to be careful."  
  
"What should we do?"  
  
"Try to remain subtle, and not attract attention. Keep an ear out, and see what you can find out." Hawkmon ordered, "But whatever happens, don't give them a chance to even _guess_ at who we are. If they work for Lord Dramon, we're finished."  
  
Patamon worried, "Do you think Takeru and Miyako will be able to keep hidden?"  
  
---------------  
  
Miyako straightened herself up, brushed the dirt off her clothes, and with her sexiest smile she could muster, looked straight at her companion. "Oh, Takeru." she greeted, batting her eyelashes.  
  
"Yes?" Takeru asked, seemingly oblivious.  
  
Why couldn't he take a hint? Wasn't it obvious? She moved closer to him, continuing, "You know, the two of us are alone here. No one else is around."  
  
"That's true." Takeru agreed.  
  
"So if we wanted to," Miyako offerred, bringing her face close to his, "We could do just about anything we wanted. Just you and me. Together."  
  
"I'm not sure I like where you're going with this." Takeru replied nervously at the girl bearing over him.  
  
"Why not?" Miyako asked, teasing. "We could have fun with this. Don't you want to?"  
  
Takeru pushed her back, gently. "No, I don't." he replied.  
  
Miyako stopped, hurt. "Why not?" she asked, again.  
  
Takeru sighed. "Why are you doing this? You've got to know that now, in the middle of a strange world we know nothing about, is possibly the WORST time to start something between us. Too much is new and confusing, and the last thing we need is new factors thrown into the mix."  
  
Tears began to well up in Miyako's eyes, but she fought them back as best as she could. "You're just like HIM. You don't like me."  
  
"Just like who?" Takeru asked calmly.  
  
"Koushiro." she replied. "Or Izzy. Or whatever the hell they call him here!"  
  
"Is that what this is about?" Takeru asked. He wasn't quite sure what'd gone on between Izzy and his friend, but he wanted to do what he could to help. He needed to know more. "What'd he do?"  
  
"He's totally changed." she replied. "He doesn't care anything about me. All he cares about is saving the world."  
  
"Does he have any reason to care?" Takeru asked. "How close do you two get?"  
  
"Not very." Miyako admitted, biting her lip. "But he could've at least pretended to be nice to me."  
  
"He wasn't nice to the rest of us, either." Takeru pointed out.  
  
"I know." Miyako sighed. "But I still wish that he could've been. I like it when guys notice me. You were there at Digitamamon's diner, back in our world; how I was all over Michael for how great he was, trying to get his attention."  
  
"But you'd also decided back then to be more sincere, and take guys more seriously." Takeru added. "That's how Hawkmon first digivolved into Shiyurimon, wasn't it?"  
  
"I guess old habits die hard." Miyako smiled weakly, "I wasn't very happy about coming to this world in the first place, and I wanted to be comforted for it. And there was Koushiro--Izzy--and it was if this world wanted me about as much as I wanted it."  
  
She couldn't hold it in anymore, and started crying. "All I wanted was someone to tell me it'd be okay. Was that too much to ask?"  
  
Takeru wasn't quite sure what to do. Miyako needed a friend right now, and he was the only one there. Hoping he was right, he took her into his arms and hugged her. Without hesitating, she began to cry into his chest, and just let it all out. They stayed like that for a while, cuddled together, niether saying a word.  
  
"Takeru?" Miyako asked, as the tears began to subside.  
  
"Yes?" Takeru answered.  
  
"Thank you." she smiled.  
  
Miyako sounded like she had more to say, but the two hushed quickly at the sounds of footsteps overhead. Two distinct patterns of feet emerged, and with them, two voices. The two children listened quietly, carefully.  
  
"Are you sure this is where those new Rookies came from?" one voice asked.  
  
"Positive." the other said, undoubting.  
  
"And they had children with them?"  
  
"Yes." voice two confirmed, "One was a girl, kind of tall, with long hair, and the other was a slightly shorter boy who talked all smart."  
  
"That sounds like those kids Lord Dramon's been after all this time." voice one observed. "Could it be they've finally resurfaced?"  
  
"I don't see anything else it could mean."  
  
Miyako looked right at Takeru and silently mouthed the words, 'they think we're Mimi and Izzy?' Takeru nodded.  
  
"Get the others." voice one ordered, "Close off the town, but try not to make too much of a scene. Find those new rookies, and capture them. Maybe we can use them to catch the digidestined they came with. I'm heading right to the tavern they were seen in to flush them out."  
  
"Good luck." voice two said, and both left.  
  
As soon as their two mysterious enemies had left earshot, Miyako said right to Takeru, "They're after Hawkmon and Patamon! We've got to save them."  
  
"Hurry." Takeru agreed, as they both climbed out of the water and crept into town.  
  
---------------  
  
"Say, did you guys hear what happened to Piedmon?" one of the digimon in the tavern asked. Patamon's and Hawkmon's ears perked, focussing on the inquiry.  
  
"No, what happened?" another asked.  
  
"Such a shame." the first replied, "It seems the Resistance had roughed him up some, weakening him enough until one of them shot him at point-blank with a Tankmon."  
  
"No." a third gasped. "You're making that up."  
  
"It's true!" he replied. "My sources never lie. The resistance is up to their old tricks, and they took down Piedmon."  
  
"Now there's one of the strongest Viruses that ever lived." a fourth said.  
  
The second agreed, "They had to gang up on him, and shoot him with a tank to bring him down. That's courage."  
  
"Here's to Piedmon!" Four cheered, raising his drink.  
  
"Now's not the time to be celebrating!" One insisted. "The resistance is back. Before you know it, they'll be stirring up all kinds of trouble again. Why else would Gennai leave one of his strongest knights to watch for their return?"  
  
"We should warn Lord Dramon at once!" a fifth agreed.  
  
"Or," declared the voice from the bridge, as he stepped into the room, "We could capture them ourselves, and offer them as a gift to our sovereign lords."  
  
The room turned to stare at him, as Patamon and Hawkmon lowed in their seats.  
  
"It'd seem two humans were seen wondering around outside our town." he explained. "They had two digimon with them. The digimon and the humans parted ways, and the digimon crossed the bridge into town."  
  
Hawkmon glanced frantically around, looking for a way out. The door was blocked, the newcomer standing in it. Patamon, of the same thought, tapped Hawkmon and pointed at the window, where two friendly sets of eyes peered over the ledge. Takeru's gentured away from to door, where Hawkmon saw an open bathroom. Cautiously, he and Patamon made their way to it. Inside, the window was propped open, and the two made their way out.  
  
Patamon on the ground and Hawkmon bringing his leg over the edge of the windowsill, the digimon they strove to escape from exited the building. He looked at them, and announced "There they are! Sound the alarm! You two--" he pointed at two of his conversants, "come with me. We'll get them."  
  
The four fugitives picked a direction, and started running. If they remembered right, it was the way back to camp, but without the stream they couldn't be sure. All they could do was hope. And Takeru was Hoping for all he was worth.  
  
---------------  
  
"That's enough lessons for today." Kami dismissed Daisuke, whose head was swimming from all the new information he'd spent the day cramming into it.  
  
"Good." Daisuke agreed. "In that case, I'm gonna go take a walk."  
  
"Don't take too long." Mimi cautioned. "Takeru and Mimi should be back any time now."  
  
"I won't." Daisuke replied, hastilly making his way to the edge of camp, V-Mon in tow.  
  
"And pick up some firewood, too." WarAgumon added, causing Daisuke to wince at the very work he'd hoped to avoid. "Those fish Hikari and Iori have been working on won't cook themselves."  
  
"Okay." Daisuke agreed, as he and his blue companion hiked off.  
  
---------------  
  
"Oh no..." Miyako realized, as she and Takeru came to an abrupt halt. Their way was blocked; they'd run right into a rather sharp bend in the river, the only way out by land blocked by those pursuing them.  
  
"I think we'd better digivolve." Takeru declared, and his three companions nodded.  
  
Patamon, Armor Digivolve into... Pegasusmon!  
Hawkmon, Armor Digivolve into... Shiyurimon!  
  
"So, you can digivolve, Rookies." their enemy mused as he stepped into view, a little surprised. "Gennai said he'd fixed that good. Could it be you've come out of hiding because you've learned to counter it?"  
  
"I'll give you something to counter." Pegasusmon replied. "Aquis Beam!"  
  
The lead enemy dodged the green beam easilly, side-stepping it. Flanking him, his two companions stood at the ready, waiting the order to lead into action. Opposing them, the two Armor Digivolutions stood their ground.  
  
"You should have gave up when you had the chance." the enemy insisted.  
  
"That was a warning shot." Pegasusmon ignored him. "The next one won't miss."  
  
The enemy shook his head. "You should've surrendred." He turned to his colleagues, and permissed them, "Go for it."  
  
The two sprang into action, quickly causing a melee to ensue. Shiyurimon took one and Pegasusmon the other, both wary of the third but momentarilly noncombatant. The leader was confident enough to stand back and watch for the time being, knowing his allies to be stronger than those they fought.  
  
Across the river, something caught his eye. Bushes stirred, and from them stepped another boy, and behind him... a V-Mon? Could it be there was a mistake?  
  
"You two look like you could use some help." Daisuke offerred, calling to Takeru and Miyako.  
  
"It'd be appreciated." Takeru called back, without looking away from his partner.  
  
"They've got more help than we counted on!" the leader ordered. "We must retreat!" His two lackeys saw the newcomer, and agreed. They disengaged, and the trio sprinted the other way, away from battle, and back towards town.  
  
"What was that about?" Daisuke asked.  
  
"We'll let you know back at camp." Miyako replied.  
  
---------------  
  
The three digidestined and three digimon arrived at the campsite. WarAgumon was notably upset at Daisuke's non-remembrance of the firewood, but consented to let it wait while they all gathered to hear the scouters' report. Hawkmon and Patamon relayed their findings at the tavern, and Miyako and Takeru added in the conversation overheard at the bridge. Although confused by the outcome, they told of the scuffle Daisuke had broken up with his arrival.  
  
"And you've no idea why they decided to leave?" WarAgumon asked.  
  
"None." Takeru confirmed.  
  
"Maybe they weren't prepared to take you on in an even fight?" Iori offered.  
  
"Or maybe they thought I had more people with me?" Daisuke added. "They didn't especially stick around to find out."  
  
"Possibly." Hawkmon agreed.  
  
"Are the three of you alright?" Mimi asked.  
  
"I think so." Takeru replied. He turned to Miyako, "Are we?"  
  
For a moment, she looked back, reading the warmth and friendship in his eyes. Maybe trying to start a relationship with him hadn't worked so well, but he still accepted her as a person, which was better than Izzy had seemed to. Maybe this way was for the best.  
  
"Yes." Miyako agreed. "We're fine."  
  
  
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To Be Continued  
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Email me at RyanBerke@aol.com. Questions, comments and criticism are welcome!  
  
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	7. NGO Episode 4: Legend of the VMon

**"New Gennai Order" -- Episode 04: Legend of the V-Mon**  
September 2002, Ryan Berke  
Email me at RyanBerke2@hotmail.com. Questions, comments and criticism are welcome!  
  
((DISCLAIMER: I do not own, nor do I claim to own, any of the Digimon characters (heck, I refuse to claim even the ones I made up! Feel free to steal them--but let me know first!) They are all property of FoxKids, Toei, and Bandai. I haven't received any permission ahead of time, but then this wouldn't be a Fanfic, would it?))  
  
((SHAMELESS PLUG: At the beginning of the summer, my band The Federalist Papers* recorded our first CD. We've got one of the songs available for download on mp3.com, so if you don't mind, please give Escape** a look.))  
And since Xing stripped my link codes: * http://federalistpapers.cjb.net/ ** http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/443/the_federalist_papers.html   


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Previously, in "What If?":  
  
Mimi, cast out of Izzy's rebellion for insubordination, joins the visiting 02 digidestined. She tells them of a nearby town, where the resistance has no contacts. Miyako, Hawkmon, Takeru, and Patamon are sent as reconnaisance to scout out the town for resistance or Gennai supporters.  
  
Miyako, hurt by Izzy's downright cruelty towards her, re-evaluates her choice in crushes. She turns to Takeru as her next love object. Hiding at the town's outskirts, they sort out their feelings while their digimon roam the town.  
  
The digimon narrowly escape a close encounter with Gennai-supporters and round up their digidestined to go back to camp. They're pursued by two of the digimon they encountered, who chase them through the forest until Daisuke arrives, single-handedly scaring them away...  
  


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
  
The digidestined sat around their camp, reviewing the previous day's battle. Kami and WarAgumon sat farther back than the others, as did Miyako, who stayed to one side and kept mostly to herself, nursing her pride. In the middle of the group, Iori led the discussion to evaluate the outcome of the skirmish.   
  
"I just don't understand," he said, "They had you cornered and overpowered. And why would they run from _Daisuke_, of all people?"   
  
"Hey!" the goggle-boy protested.   
  
"Of course they'd run from Daisuke!" V-mon defended his partner, "He had me with him!"   
  
Daisuke was more offended than defended. "Oh, and what would you have done? Headbutted them to death?"   
  
"Hey! I'll have you know we V-mon have been known for centuries for our strength and fighting abilities!" he replied.   
  
"Well you sure weren't known for your knock-knock jokes, that's for sure," Armadillomon said.   
  
Everyone but V-Mon laughted.   
  
"The V-mon warrior clan was legendary!" he fumed, "There was a time when _anyone_ would've run from one of us, not to mention a coupl of crackpots like yesterday."   
  
"Only if they remembered they had something better to do!" Patamon teased.   
  
Another round of laughter.   
  
V-mon scowled, "They'd _find_ something better to do."   
  
"With a face like that, who wouldn't?" Armadillomon said.   
  
Still another bout of laughter at V-mon's expense.   
  
"What's wrong, Takeru?" Patamon said, "You're not laughing."   
  
"It's because _he_ actually has the sense to believe me!" V-mon said indignantly.   
  
"You said the V-mon were legendary?" Takeru asked suddenly. V-mon nodded. "Could you tell us one of your legends, V-mon?"   
  
"Certainly!" said V-mon. He paused for a moment to remember, and began.   
  
---------------   
  
"A thousand years ago, the digiworld wasn't the same as it is now. For example, we know now that our world was created by humans, using leftove data from their telephones and the internet. But back when we didn't know any better, we gave all credit to the four gods. No one had ever gone overseas, unable to cross the vast oceans, so though there were several continents, whichever you were on was your entire world.   
  
We V-mon lived on the Western continent, the one known now as Server. It was a land ruled by warlords and feuding tribes, a world where peace was naught but a dream. There was fighting everywhere, where the only rule was kill, or be killed.   
  
The V-mon were nomads, travelling the continent in hopes of finding peace, living by our code. We were mon of honor; we protected the innocent, battled tyranny, promoted peace and unity, and only fought when there was no alternative. Over time, our deeds became well-known, and the innocent knew there were those--us--that'd defend them. But at the same time, we V-mon made some powerful enemies.   
  
There was a V-mon in particular whose courage is still spoken of today. Being a digimon, he had no individually given name, but out of respect for how well he symbolized V-mon society, he's come to be known simply as "Vee."   
  
As the story goes, Vee was sleeping in the forest when a small, child-level digimon approached him. He was hiding from a warlord who'd taken control of his village, tryinmg to find and bring help. Vee vowed to save the child's village, and evacuate the citizens from the warlord and his tyranny.   
  
But the warlord found out about the child's escape, and sent troops into the forest to recover him. Together, Vee and the child hid in the forest, trying to resue the town without picking a fight.   
  
The troops pressed on, finally surrounding and trapping Vee and the child. Vee told them that he meant no harm, and asked them to back down. They refused. He gave them one last chance, and instead they attacked. The child in danger, Vee jumped in front of him to protect him. Then something extraordinary happened.   
  
In a brilliant flash of light, Vee digivolved to protect the child. He grabbed the attacker, countering the initial blow, and destroying him with one hit.   
  
The other troops pressed in, swarming Vee, until he was outnumbered twenty-to-one. He faced them all fearlessly, and in the coming melee, defeated them all. They were all deleted, their data left to go back to primary village.   
  
Vee de-digivolved, exhausted. The child was trembling, but okay. Back then, there were no digidestined, and digivolution served only as a progression through life. Startled, the child looked at Vee with new respect, and Vee took him by the hand. The two left into the forest to find and rescue the town.   
  
---------------   
  
"And that's the legend of the heroic V-mon." V-mon looked up, crossing his arms in a pride-filled stance. All eyes were on him.   
  
"That's--that's horrible!" Iori stuttered, "He killed all those digimon..."   
  
"He had no choice!" V-mon defended his hero. "He saved that child--the child would've died if Vee hadn't stepped in."   
  
"And twenty others died because of it."   
  
"But he had to stop them!"   
  
"But did he have to kill them in the process?"   
  
"He was a hero."   
  
"A murderer."   
  
"Enough!" Hikari exclaimed. All eyes turned to her in surprise; while she was always one for keeping the peace, it was rare that they'd seen her shout. "Whichever he was, he was an excellent fighter. If those digimon in the forest yesterday had heard of the story before, that might explain why they were so scared: they didn't want to die like the goons in the legend did."   
  
"What we need to worry about now," Takeru agreed. "Is whether or not they'll be coming back. Because if they do, they'll be bound to have reinforcements. And when they do, it'll be enough of them that they won't back down."   
  
"Nobody goes into the forest alone," WarAgumon ordered, taking charge. "Those with digimon or digidestined partners, stay together at all times, and if possible whenever you leave camp, take another pair with you. For these purposes, Kami will stay with me."   
  
"Is that fine with everyone else?" Mimi asked, double-checking to make sure the plan wasn't being forced onto anyone who wasn't comfortable with it. Everyone nodded.   
  
She smiled. "On that note, Daisuke, V-mon, Iori, and Armadillomon have foraging duty today."   
  
V-mon and Iori glared at each other, and the four left to find food.   
  
---------------   
  
Run, run. Gotta get away. Can't let myself be caught. Have to warn them.   
  
Chuumon's little heart pounded in his chest, beating violently as he bolted through the forest. Urgency pulled him along, but fear rode behind him pushing him faster.   
  
He burst into a riverside clearing, and knew he'd come to the right place. He was surrounded on three sides by water, the fourth side (and the only way out) being behind, from where he'd came. There were hoof, talon, and paw marks all over the ground, but the way they were laid out resembled a fight. If by only that sign alone, he knew he was in the right place.   
  
Chuumon's panic rose, knowing his pursuit couldn't be very far behind. He began to sweat uncontrollably, yelling hopefully across the river, "Help, help!"   
  
C'mon, c'mon! Where were they? They had to be nearby. They had to be.   
  
He called again, "Help, hel--"   
  
"Poison Ivy!" a girl's voice cried, cutting him off. Long purple vines streamed towards him, coming from the other side of some bushes across the stream. The vines closed around him, and Chuumon felt himself being lifted over the stream.   
  
The vines set him down on the other side, gently placing him on the ground so the bushes would hide him from sight as well. He looked up, seeing who his rescuers were: two human girls, backed by two rookie digimon. The girl on the right, purple-haired and dressed in most notably a vest and a helmet, was accompanied by a bird-like digimon Chuumon was unfamiliar with. The bird matched the description of the one from the tavern, so he wasn't too worried.   
  
The girl on the other side was unmistakably Mimi Tachikawa, the girl from the resistance movement. Reward posters were put up everywhere for her in the past four years, but as time passed, the posters were more and more ignored. She looked just as she had in the poster, though her cowboy-themed garb was much more worn, and obviously had been subjected to various alterings as the girl wearing them had grown. Brown-haired, fair-skinned, and backed by the Palmon, there was no mistaking her either.   
  
"Are you okay?" Mimi asked, with a sincerity rare in the digiworld these days. "We heard you calling for help."   
  
"I'm fine, now," Chuumon said. "Thanks to you guys."   
  
"What happened?" the other girl asked.   
  
"I've just come up from the village," Chuumon said. "I need to talk to the resistance right now."   
  
"Woah, wait," the other girl said. "What makes you so sure we'll just trust you? What's to keep you from turning us over to Lord Dramon?"   
  
"Not everyone in my village is on Lord Dramon's side," Chuumon said gravely. "And I need your help to save the ones that aren't."   
  
---------------   
  
"Okay, this is everyone," Miyako lied. They'd led Chuumon back to their camp, stopping just far enough away to send Mimi in to plan while Miyako guarded their charge. It'd been decided okay to show him WarAgumon and Kami, who he'd recognize from the old reward posters. Similarly, Takeru and Patamon, who'd already been seen by the town, were okayed. The others had been sent to find Daisuke and Iori, to make sure they didn't come back into camp prematurely. Once everything was ready and the camp made to not look like it had extra people staying in it, Mayako led Chuumon into camp.   
  
"Okay," Chuumon said with a quick look around, satisfied by what he saw, "I'm here in part to apologize on behalf of the village. We wish to make it known that the actions of some do not necessarilly reflect the opinions of the entire community. The two digimon who chased you were Banditmon and Robbermon--not exactly some of the more preferable people to hang around."   
  
"We noticed," Miyako said gruffly.   
  
"They belong to the Loyalist movement, a faction currently splitting our town," he explained, ignoring or choosing not to acknowledge her reply. "While in number, they make up only a minority of our populace, they also make up a majority of the higher-evolved digimon--most of the Loyalists are either Champion or in a few cases, Ultimate. They look down on us "lower forms," and tend to boss us around."   
  
"Why doesn't anyone stop them?" Patamon asked.   
  
"They're Loyalists," Chuumon repeated, as though the one word explained everything, "And it's no secret the Loyalists run the town. That tavern you guys went into was one of their favorite hangouts. Bad choice on you guys' parts, I guess."   
  
Takeru's and Miyako's lips tightened at their edges, drawing their mouths into flat lines, as they both grimly nodded their agreement.   
  
"They way I see it," Chuumon said, "Was that you guys went in there as rookies. I know there must be something you could've digivolved into and commanded more respect as."   
  
"We thought it best to keep a lower profile, and thought that'd be easiest as Rookies," Hawkmon explained.   
  
"And you would've been right," Chuumon agreed, "Anywhere but in that tavern. In the tavern, all you could hope to do was offend them." His eyes shifted to the floor, suddenly ashamed for his town.   
  
Hawkmon changed the subject, as if sensing Chuumon's discomfort, "There was another guy there too," he said, "He seemed to be leading the other Loyalists. A big guy at a back table."   
  
"Oh, that'd be Automon," Chuumon said, "He's an ultimate-level, cyborg digimon. Besides leading the Loyalist movement, he also serves as a village mechanic. He doesn't much like the tavern itself, but tends to drop by to keep an eye on his flunkies."   
  
"Anything we need to know about him?" Mimi asked.   
  
"Just watch out," Chuumon said, "Now that he knows you're here, he'll probably come after you. I'm just glad I warned you in time; now you know to watch your backs."   
  
Kami silenced him with a hand gesture. All eyes on her, she explained calmly and logically, "If we already know he's coming, then we need to actaccordingly. We should be ready to leave before he gets here." When everyone nodded their understanding, she turned to WarAgumon, "Go find Iori and Hikari. Tell them it's safe, and that Chuumon can be trusted."   
  
WarAgumon noticed she hadn't mentioned Daisuke, but he wasn't about to say it in front of their guest. "I'll get them," he said, looking to her for explanation.   
  
She looked back, somehow telling with only her eyes, We'll make sure we keep at least one trick still up our sleeves.   
  
WarAgumon looked back to her, agreeing, If they're afraid of V-mon, it'd be wise to keep him in reserve. He melted into the foliage.   
  
She gave a slight nod, then turned to the others, "Until they're back, let's start getting those packs together."   
  
---------------   
  
Once WarAgumon was out of sight, Kami assigned more tasks. It was clear that Daisuke would be kept secret, his pack given to WarAgumon, the only other plausible pack-bearer, due to his large-enough frame. When Mimi finished packing her personal gear, Kami asked her to take Chuumon up a tree and watch for Loyalist trackers, and to make sure that their new ally wouldn't be able to sabotage anything if he wasn't really what he appeared.   
  
They settled in, Palmon setting them gently on a branch strong enough to support their weights. Palmon then proceeded to a different tree, to watch a wider range of forest. Sitting in silence, they watched until Mimi grew uncomfortable and impatient, and turned to her companion. "I knew a Chuumon once," she said, breaking the silence.   
  
"Y-you did?" Chuumon stammered.   
  
"It was a long time ago," Mimi added. "Back on File Island."   
  
Chuumon watched her nervously, waiting for her to continue.   
  
"He was with a Sukamon," she continued, "They seemed like best friends..." her voice began drifting off, as though she were somehow lost in the memory. "It was so long ago--our first year in the digital world, I think. I must've been, what, ten? They thought I was pretty, but I was too young to understand. I thought they were gross--I flat out hated them for wanting to talk to me!"   
  
Chuumon was shaking.   
  
"What's wrong, Chuumon?" she asked, "That was seven years ago. I don't hate _you_."   
  
"I remember you too, Mimi," Chuumon said suddenly, softly. "I was that Chuumon you saw so long ago. Only for me it was more than seven years. _A lot_ more."   
  
"VenomMyotismon." Mimi nodded. "There was a time difference while we were busy fighting him."   
  
"Yes," Chuumon agreed. "And a lot of time has passed since then. I, myself, have died several times over, only to be reborn at Primary Village."   
  
"You don't have to worry about that now." Mimi calmed him. "We're here to protect you."   
  
"Only until Lord Dramon catches up to us," Chuumon said, "People in the village are saying you guys killed Piedmon--"   
  
"We _did_ kill Piedmon," Mimi said.   
  
"--and knowing that, Lord Dramon won't let you live." Chuumon's voice was urgent, and his heart was beating quickly again. "Lord Dramon is Gennai's favorite of his Knights, and it's because he was the strongest. You might've been able to beat Piedmon, but it'll take a lot more to beat him."   
  
Mimi stared calmly, protectively, into Chuumon's eyes. He gazed back, and almost immediately felt better for it. No one had felt such pure, mothering protectiveness in the digiworld for years--probably since Sora had been swept away, fighting MetalSeadramon.   
  
Mimi clenched a fist. The Gennai Knights had taken too many friends from her to let them take any more. They had a lot to answer for, and Lord Dramon was no exception.   
  
She took a deep breath, "But we're safe from him too," she explained, "WarAgumon is a Dramon Destroyer, just like WarGreymon was. He killed Machinedramon on his own, and he was right in there fighting with us when we killed Piedmon too. Lord Dramon doesn't stand a chance against him."   
  
Chuumon looked up at her, tears drying in his eyes. With a newfound, aweing respect, he said, "You're really gonna do it. You're gonna take on Lord Dramon."   
  
"Yes," Mimi said. "That's why those Loyalists want us so badly."   
  
"And it's driving them crazy," Chuumon said. "They want to look good in front of Lord Dramon. They're all stumbling over each other to find you--that is, the ones who believe Robbermon's story and know you're out here."   
  
Mimi stopped for a moment. "Chuumon," she asked, "What would happen if we went away? Would the Loyalists stop picking on everyone else and give up trying to catch us?"   
  
"I don't think so," Chuumon said. "The only way they're gonna back down is once they've proven themselves to Lord Dramon."   
  
"And what would happen if we _did_ leave?" Mimi asked.   
  
"Then the Loyalists would still run the town," Chuumon said, "And nothing around here would change."   
  
"No. That's not an option," Mimi said, determined, "We can't just leave things how they were, knowing how they've been treating you."   
  
"So what're you going to do?" Chuumon asked.   
  
"I'm not sure," Mimi replied honestly, "But we'll think of something. The way the Loyalists treat everyone else is unnacceptable."   
  
"Y'know, you don't have to do this," Chuumon offered, "You don't need to stick your neck out for us."   
  
Mimi looked him once more in the eyes, "I know."   
  
---------------   
  
"Stay here until we need you," Daisuke grumbled, repeating his instructions. He knew why, of course--they couldn't afford to let V-mon to be seen, whether Chuumon was to be trusted or not. And naturally, as V-mon's partner, he'd be expected to wait too.   
  
He kicked a small stone. It went skipping off, bringing itself to a settled landing only after bouncing off V-mon's forehead.   
  
"Hey!" his partner protested.   
  
"Sorry," Daisuke said. He honestly hadn't remembered that V-mon had been standing there.   
  
V-mon gave him a look.   
  
Suddenly, he could hear sounds--voices?--coming from nearby. They peered through the trees, and saw a group of digimon headed his way, maybe a dozen or so of them. At the lead were two champion digimon that could only be Banditmon and Robbermon.   
  
"What should we do, Daisuke?" V-mon asked.   
  
"What else?" Daisuke replied, "We hide."   
  
---------------   
  
"They're here," Hikari reported in a low whisper, out of earshot of their visitor. She carefully pocketed a walkie-talkie--another toy Izzy had thought to include in her communications pack. "Daisuke reports approximately twelve loyalists, lead by two Champion's he's identified as Banditmon and Robbermon."   
  
"And what of Daisuke?" Kami asked, equally quiet.   
  
"He and V-mon are keeping hidden. Reportedly," she made sure to add.   
  
"Reportedly?" Kami asked.   
  
"He didn't _sound_ like he was keeping hidden," she explained, "If anything, he and V-mon sounded like they were moving, not hiding."   
  
"Moving farther away?" Kami suggested.   
  
"He'd be stupid not to." Hikari frowned at her statement.   
  
"Go get Mimi," Kami ordered, "Tell her it's time to go, but don't tell her _why_. Let's just hope Daisuke isn't, in fact, doing something stupid."   
  
"That would be a first," Hikari said.   
  
---------------   
  
"I hope this doesn't turn out to be something stupid," Daisuke thought to himself, pocketing his walkie-talkie.   
  
He took the rock he'd hit V-mon with and threw it into the foliage behind and on the other side of his opponents. They turned at the noise, looking around suspiciously. Daisuke ducked out of sight.   
  
V-mon opened his mouth to ask, but Daisuke silenced him with a finger to his lips. Silently, he lowered his lips to the side of V-mon's head.   
  
"Leading them away," Daisuke whispered as quietly as he could, not daring to say more.   
  
Judging it safe, he grabbed another rock and hurled it again.   
  
"I hope," he added quietly, though he doubted V-mon heard.   
  
---------------   
  
Packs distributed and Chuumon safely hidden, the rest of the digidestined party walked single file in the direction opposite from where they'd left Daisuke--logically also the direction of their would-be pursuers. Periodically, WarAgumon would scout ahead, only to slip back silently and usher them along.   
  
"Where are we headed? What's our objective?" he asked, hoping to clarify just what he was scouting for.   
  
"We need to find a way to help the village," Mimi said, "We can't just let the loyalists push everyone else around."   
  
"I hate to be the one to point this out," Iori said, "But they chased us out before. What's to stop them from doing it again?"   
  
"I will," War Agumon replied.   
  
"If we bully them into being on our side, we're no better than the Loyalists are," Iori argued.   
  
"If you honestly thought that, you would've been better off staying with Izzy," WarAgumon growled.   
  
"Maybe," Iori surprised everyone by agreeing, "It's rather fitting that the digidestined of Knowledge are the only ones around here who can actually _think_."   
  
WarAgumon snarled, only to be calmed by Kami's hand on his shoulder. Kami then returned Iori's sting with one of her own, "It doesn't require intellegence to be able to claim having it."   
  
Iori glared, but the jibe had it's intended effect--he shut up. He might've expected someone else to get involved, but he'd never have guessed it'd be her. He looked inquisitively at her, as though trying to puzzle her out. Kami smiled darkly.   
  
"Of course," she added, the very air charged by her intensity, "You brought it on yourself, WarAgumon. It'd almost serve you right if we _did_ let you be killed for your arrogance."   
  
The situation was resolved, but far from diffused. If anything, Kami had buried it to fester awhile until a wrong word would make it boil up again. And when it did, it would only be worse. She'd silenced them all to brood on the dislike growing in their stomachs.   
  
Kami smiled, then said, "But our time is short. We still need to know what we're going to do."   
  
Takeru was the first to shake off the stunned silence. "Actually, whether they meant it or not, they both have a point."   
  
"What do you mean, Takeru?" Patamon asked.   
  
"We need to make sure the loyalists don't come after the people we're helping," he explained. "But WarAgumon can't stay here forever to do it. We need him to help against Lord Dramon."   
  
"So someone else has to keep them in check," Armadillomon grinned, picking up the idea. "But if all of us are needed, then none of us can stay, which just leaves..."   
  
His voice trailed off. All eyes turned to Chuumon.   
  
"Me?" he asked, his voice squeaking.   
  
"We can't stay around forever. We can only get you started," Takeru said, "But if we set up a resistance cell, you'll be able to work together with others like you to fight back."   
  
"And Mimi has connections to Ground Zero," Hawkmon added, "If anyone can get you connected back to the resistance, she can."   
  
"Could you, Mimi?" Chuumon pleaded through teary eyes.   
  
"Okay," she said, "But first we'll need a safehouse--someplace hidden, like a cellar or something. From there, we can tunnel back to Ground Zero."   
  
"Then I can dig a drop shaft like the one we went through to get there our first time!" Armadillomon said, excitedly.   
  
"And I think I may know a good place," Chuumon offered eagerly.   
  
"Good," Mimi said, "Show us how to get there."   
  
---------------   
  
"I hope this works," Daisuke repeated to himself for what must've been the thousandth time.   
  
Thrown stones could only be used so much before they'd catch on, so he'd made a point of running ahead, leaving things for them to find, maybe occasionally making little noises. After a while of this, all he had to do was watch--they were all so alert, they were doing the work for him. They were tripping over each other, overreacting to the slightest sound. The only thing he had to worry about was that he had them going the right direction, and hope he didn't get careless.   
  
He picked up another stone and let it fly. It took a high arc, intended to fly over and land on the other side of the hunters. Unexpectedly, it instead hit a low-hanging tree branch. The misjudged throw fell, landing squarely on Robbermon's head.   
  
"Oops," Daisuke winced.   
  
"Who did that?" Robbermon roared.   
  
"Did what?" Banditmon asked.   
  
"Someone threw a rock at me!" Robbermon bellowed angrilly.   
  
"Like who?" Banditmon asked, "That little Chuumon we're looking for?"   
  
Daisuke breathed a sigh of relief. They still weren't quite sure what they were chasing after--yet.   
  
"Or those humans we saw yesterday," Robbermon said.   
  
Or maybe not. Again, he held a finger to his lips, and saw V-mon motioning the same to him, as if in agreement.   
  
"Honestly, Robbermon," Banditmon reasoned, "Do you really think we'd be chasing one of those kids, and not know it was them?"   
  
Robbermon ignored his comrade, choosing instead to look around. After a quick surveyal, he made his decision. "They went this way!" he concluded, pointing in the direction exactly opposite where Daisuke had intended to lead him. Daisuke winced as Robbermon hastilly stomped off, followed one at a time by the others in his party.   
  
Banditmon frowned. He was pretty sure they hadn't been following digidestined. If nothing else, there weren't enough of the right tracks on the ground. He looked around one more time to be sure, catching a glimpse of--blue? No, it was gone. But was it a sign?   
  
"You two," he pointed at the last to leave, keeping his voice low, "Stay here." The two confused trackers obeyed.   
  
He looked around some more. He knew he'd seen a flash of blue; _something_ had to be nearby.   
  
Daisuke winced again. Robbermon had gotten exactly the wrong message, and couldn't be stopped. But since Banditmon had stayed behind, there was no way he could warn his friends of the incoming danger, either. He hoped Banditmon would give up soon, but that didn't seem likely.   
  
All he could really do was sit still and silent, try not to be seen, and hope Banditmon passed over him. And hope that his friends would be okay without him.   
  
---------------   
  
Robbermon's pace quickened as he went, spurred on by the hunt. There were nine others behind him, and Banditmon wasn't among them.   
  
Fool, he sneered. Robbermon knew that _he_ wouldn't be the one to let these new digidestined escape. He almost felt sorry for Banditmon; Automon wouldn't take such cowardice lightly.   
  
Too bad for him, Robbermon concluded.   
  
---------------   
  
"Stop here," Takeru said, realizing where they were. This was the clearing where he and Miyako had stopped the first time they'd been to the village. It had the same river running through it, flowing under a bridge before bending and trailing off. To one side of the bridge lay the town, the other the clearing, ending once again in forest. He pulled his friends back into the cover the forest provided, looking to Miyako for the confirmation that this was, in fact, the place he thought it was. She nodded in agreement.   
  
"Okay," Hikari said, unloading her pack from her shoulders, "Here's the deal. We'd give you the walkie-talkie if we had it, but we don't, because Daisuke still does. Instead, we'll have to make do with a signal flare. Use it if you run into any trouble and need us to bail you out. But also remember that if you use it, it'll give us away; so if at all possible, please try first to just hide, instead."   
  
Chuumon frowned. "You mean, you're not coming with me?"   
  
"Not yet," Mimi said, "But we will. First, we need you to find a place we can smuggle into."   
  
"There's a restaurant with a wine cellar under it," Chuumon said desperately, as though begging not to be forced to go on alone. "It's run by a Tapirmon--he's a rookie, just like me. He doesn't much like the loyalists either."   
  
"Check it out, and come back to us," Mimi said, then added calmingly, "We'll still be here when you get back."   
  
"And if you think the place'll work out," Iori added, "Armadillomon and I can come and dig there. We won't be able to drill our way back to ground zero just yet--we don't want to compromise their position--but we'll at least be able to establish a safehouse for your resistance cell, while we try to get back in touch with him."   
  
"And hopefully when it's time to dig, we'll have the walkie-talkie back," Hikari said, "We can give you that, and you'll be able to keep in touch with us until you've got yourselves under way."   
  
"That should be enough for now," Mimi said, "Go ahead, Chuumon. We'll be right here. It'll be okay."   
  
Chuumon was shaking. A sudden crash to their left sent him next to spasming.   
  
Takeru bit his lip at Patamon summed up his concern: "I've got a bad feeling about this..."   
  
There was no place to hide. Safely hidden from the town and clearing, this _was_ supposed to be their place to hide. All they could do was keep perfectly still as the crashings became closer and more numerous.   
  
Suddenly, a face Takeru knew all too well burst into sight. He grinned darkly.   
  
"Banditmon!" Robbermon called out across the forest, "I found them!"   
  
--------------   
  
Daisuke was in a very bad position, he decided. He was separated from the others, trying to lead their chasers away. But thanks to his own bungling, most of his charges had run off--and crediting their stupidity, they'd gotten exactly the wrong message and weren't running in anything close to the right direction to get him. They were, however, headed in the perfect direction to take them exactly where he didn't want them to go.   
  
And he couldn't do anything about it. Somehow they'd seen him and left three behind to deal with him. He couldn't run after the others, or these guys would find him. He couldn't warn his friends, or these guys would hear him. And if they found him, he didn't think he and V-mon would be able to hold up.   
  
A very bad position, indeed.   
  
Banditmon was still searching, and beginning to look his way. If he saw Daisuke, there'd be no mistaking the telltale, flame-licked jacket.   
  
Daisuke couldn't afford to let himself be seen. Again, he picked up a rock--there was no time to think of anything better. As subtly as he could, he tried to throw is past Banditmon, and maybe distract him that way.   
  
Banditmon's eyes flicked to it as he let it fly. His hand reached for it in midair. As though knowing that Daisuke was watching, he turned to where the rock's trajectory had come from, and made a show of crushing the rock in his hand.   
  
This was it--nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. All Daisuke could do was brace against this inevitable fate, and go down fighting. He rose to his feet, and urged V-mon to do the same.   
  
Banditmon, with obvious difficulty, managed to keep his face composed, even as one of the others behind him gasped. Immediately, the trio fell to their knees, bowing submissively.   
  
"Forgive me, sir," Banditmon addressed Daisuke, "I had no idea it was you." He began to stutter fearfully, as his resolve weakened, "W-when w-we saw y-y-you in the f-forest the other d-day, w-w-w-we a-assumed that y-you were only p-p-p-p-passing through."   
  
Daisuke did his best to look undaunted, and live up to intimidating expectations. "What lead you to believe that?" he asked, authoritatively.   
  
"F-f-forgive me, s-sir," Banditmon begged, "I'm at your s-service. D-do w-with me as you w-wish." He lowered his head, offering his neck.   
  
Daisuke declined wordlessly, and Banditmon relaxed.   
  
Daisuke opened his mouth to speak, and everyone looked to him expectantly. But before he could form any words, the forest rang with Robbermon's call: "Banditmon! I found them!"   
  
Daisuke's heart caught in his chest. He swallowed, then said weakly (hoping he didn't sound _too_ weak), "Take me to them."   
  
Banditmon nodded his assent.   
  
---------------   
  
"Get out of the way," WarAgumon growled.   
  
"Oh, I don't think so," Robbermon refused, "I think I'm going to stay right here."   
  
"I was giving you a chance to do it WILLINGLY," WarAgumon said, "Not a choice of yes or no."   
  
"And who's going to make me?"   
  
"We all will," Hikari said. She stood behind Gatomon, as all the others flanked their Digimon. Arrayed in a semi-circle behind WarAgumon, Hawkmon, Palmon, Gatomon, Patamon, and Armadillomon all stood in fighters' stances; their digidestined held digivices at the ready.   
  
Robbermon sneered, his trackers similarly arrayed behind him, "You DARE to threaten me with Rookies?"   
  
As if in response, the digimon evolved in turn:   
  
Hawkmon, armor digivolve to... Shiyurimon, the Samaurai of Sincerity!   
Gatomon, armor digivolve to... Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!   
Patamon, armor digivolve to... Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!   
Armadillomon, armor digivolve to... Digmon, the Drill of Power!   
  
Robbermon took a step back. "They digivolved!" he gasped. His jaw dropped, but he composed himself quickly--after all, he still outnumbered them.   
  
"You!" he ordered, choosing his fastest hunter, "Go into the village and get help. Bring Automon; tell him we've got a gift for Lord Dramon."   
  
"The only gift you'll have to offer," WarAgumon said, "Is that he be permanently spared of your presence."   
  
"Ooh, clever. Did you think that one up all by yourself?" Robbermon jeered.   
  
"Run, Chuumon!" Mimi whispered urgently, "While they're too busy taunting each other to notice you."   
  
"Oh no you don't!" Robbermon said, lunging as Chuumon began to run.   
  
His dive never reached the ground. In midair, he found himself impaled through the chest by WarAgumon's claw. His face froze open-mouthed in shock, as his data dissipated into a black cloud before scattering into deletion.   
  
And then all hell broke loose.   
  
---------------   
  
"They're right up there," Banditmon indicated, pointing ahead. Though Daisuke had offered to run, Banditmon had insisted he ride on his back. Despite the added weight, Banditmon still ran ahead of his companions.   
  
"How can you be so sure?" Daisuke asked.   
  
"You hear those voices?"   
  
Daisuke strained his ears, and realized he _could_ hear voices. "They're close," he said.   
  
Banditmon grunted an affirmation.   
  
"Stop us just a few yards away," Daisuke said, "Keep us just out of sight. We'll watch what happens."   
  
"Aye, sir."   
  
They stopped several feet from the conflict. Daisuke saw his friends with what he knew to be armor-digimon on one side, and the trackers on the other. Robbermon and WarAgumon taunted each other, until he watched Robbermon dive for Chuumon...   
  
"No!" Banditmon exclaimed, dropping Daisuke. Daisuke sat up from his place on the ground; V-mon had similarly dropped next to him.   
  
"Forgive me, sir," Banditmon said, "But I'd rather do what I must and be killed for it after, than live knowing I didn't and could've."   
  
He glanced sideways, where his two friends nodded back.   
  
Yelling battle cries, together they rushed headlong into the clearing.   
  
---------------   
  
Iori could do nothing but watch the chaos unfolding around him. Loyalists charged from everywhere--the nine from behind Robbermon, three more from the woods; another ran towards the town, Shiyurimon hot on his heels. Chuumon sprinted desperately across the field, a flying digimon diving at him from above--Nefertimon and Pegasusmon were handling him, but Digmon had to stop a Loyalist on the ground from handling _them_.   
  
And in the middle of it all was WarAgumon. completely surrounded and massively outnumbered, he fought on. Where one digimon punched for his head, he'd duck; when another kicked for his legs, he jumped. And when a digimon farther out tried to shoot it's special attack at him, a simple dodge made him shoot an ally instead.   
  
Amidst the maneuvers, WarAgumon attacked only Banditmon. Together, they fought a deadly dance of melee, so close together that Banditmon found himself dodging his companions almost as often as WarAgumon did. The two fought with the ferocity of mortal enemies, both intent on revenge--though in truth, only one of them truly sought that revenge.   
  
Dodge, duck, jump, jab, kick. They fought still more, weaving between blows, planting their own.   
  
Finally, WarAgumon stepped on Banditmon's foot, pinning it to the ground. Banditmon tried to wrench it away, but found it wouldn't budge. His eyes locked on WarAgumon's in fear, knowing there was no escape.   
  
WarAgumon grinned viciously, staring ruthlessly back into those fearful eyes. His head bobbed intuitively to one side, their dance not quite complete. Then, like a madman, he raised his other foot, sending it as hard as he could into Banditmon's shin. The bone gave way into a sickening bend, until there was no way anyone could dare claim the bone wasn't snapped in two.   
  
WarAgumon let up on the foot, leaping off effortlessly over a low kick from behind him. He carried his jump forwards, landing squarely on Banditmon's ribcage, shattering it on impact. Banditmon's howls of pain stopped as his punctured lungs could no longer hold the air to make the heart-wrenching sound. Spasming in pain, he brought his eyes to Daisuke. Unable to speak, he mouthed his final words, "I'm sorry." Banditmon shattered into digidust.   
  
Iori gasped, watching in horror as WarAgumon turned to his other attackers. Nowhere nearly as talented as Banditmon, they stood no chance as WarAgumon methodically eliminated them one by one.   
  
Shocked, Iori whispered to no one in particular, "It's just like V-mon's legend..."   
  
---------------   
  
Days later, tucked safely in the cellar of Tapirmon's restaurant, Chuumon heard the door creak open at the top of the stairs. He dove quickly into the hole Digmon had duck, hidden safely under a floor rug. He tensed as he felt the rug moved aside, but relaxed when he realized who it was.   
  
Mimi took off a hooded cloak, one she'd used to get into the town. She sat next to Chuumon on the ground, offering him some food.   
  
"It's not much," she apologized, "Just some crackers Tapirmon had upstairs."   
  
"It's okay," Chuumon said, nibbling at the edge of one.   
  
"So," Mimi asked, when it appeared he was finished, "You're a fugitive now?"   
  
"Yeah," Chuumon sighed. He stared off in another direction, regretful. "But it's not too bad," he added, "They don't know I'm here. I can do all sorts of stuff for the resistance without anyone ever finding out."   
  
"I bet it's lonely, though."   
  
He said nothing, choosing to ignore her.   
  
She felt sorry for him. He'd ruined his life to warn them about the Loyalists. Things would never be the same for him. She almost wondered what could make a person so mad they'd throw everything away for the smallest chance to fight back.   
  
"So," he asked, drawing back her attention, "How's Iori doing? He seemed pretty torn up when he and Digmon visited me."   
  
"He's a little shaken," she admitted, "But I think he'll be fine. No one takes it well the first time they've been made to see death, and the way WarAgumon showed it to him was particularly gruesome. What I'm more worried about," she explained, "is Kami."   
  
"That creepy girl who yelled at him?"   
  
"That's her," Mimi said, "She's never been too friendly. Not very talkative, always very dark."   
  
Chuumon didn't know what to say.   
  
"It's because of her that Sora died," Mimi said, "She's ruthless. Doesn't care who gets hurt, so long as the job gets done. You saw how little she worried about the town, instead just pushing us along to have it over with."   
  
"If she makes you so uneasy, then why is she with you guys?" Chuumon asked.   
  
"She has powers," Mimi explained, "Powers we _need_. Desperately. She was the one who forged WarAgumon."   
  
"Then what're you going to do?"   
  
"I don't know." Mimi bit her lip. "But she's becoming more and more manipulative, and though I can't prove anything, I think she may be trying to warp Daisuke."   
  
"But what're you going to _do_?" Chuumon pressed.   
  
"I don't know," she said again, louder, harsher. She composed herself, then, "I suppose I'll go where they go. I promised I'd be their guide, and I will. And I'll just have to keep an eye on Kami."   
  
"And what about us?" Chuumon asked, quietly.   
  
Mimi didn't say anything, finding the robe's pockets suddenly more interesting. Her hand closed on something she found in there.   
  
"Here," she thrust it at him. "It's the walkie-talkie Daisuke had. We'll come back for it before we leave. But for now, this is your link to us, as long as we've got this resistance cell to set up."   
  
Chuumon accepted it sincerely. "Thanks."   
  
"Anytime," Mimi said. "I promised I wouldn't let the Loyalists kick you around anymore, and for as long as I can stay, I plan to work to keep that promise. Hopefully, this can be the first step."   
  


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To Be Continued --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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